Books
In Conversation
PAUL AUSTER with John Reed
Paul Auster’s 10 novels include, most recently, The Book of Illusions, which comes out in paperback from Picador this August. He has also written several books of poetry, as well as screenplays including Smoke and Blue in the Face (both 1995).
Richard Cummings
By Alan LockwoodAnd how, given that Richard Cummings interviews as if De Soto’d actually found life’s spume, is the writer feeling these days? "Exhausted," he offers, reaching for the Pelligrino on a shady back porch not far from his Bridgehampton home. "I’d like to get my mind, body, and soul back."
The Postmodern Condition
By Jim FeastDouglas Glover, Bad News of the Heart (Dalkey Archive Press, 2003) Arthur Nersesian, Chinese Takeout (HarperCollins, 2003) Oskar thinks he could write a whole book, and there would be nothing in it but questions.
Darkness at the Edge of Town
By Reed JacksonLike another grand dissection of American dreaming, The Great Gatsby, Jay Cantor’s recent novel takes place in that moneyed compound of privilege, Great Neck, Long Island (aka Fitzgerald’s "East Egg"). Unlike Fitzgerald’s titular romantic, the wealthy denizens of Cantor’s novel do not chase the orgiastic green light of the future, and instead find themselves all too willing to be borne ceaselessly into the past.
Eres un Perdedor?
By Thea GoodmanLike a beloved teenager, Richard Perez’s “The Loser’s Club,” compensates for its pretentiousness with earnest, fresh emotion and a palpable sense of yearning.
Out of the Picture
By Tomassio LonghiOut of the Picture: Milton Resnick and The New York School Edited by Geofferey Dorfman (Mid March Arts Press) As one would expect, most books written by an author about an artist he adores will likely be lopsided, uncritical, and even indulgent, rhapsodically accepting the artist’s myth. In such cases, few genuine insights into the artist’s oeuvre are forthcoming.
