Jonathan Lethem and David Gates Talk Facebook, Internet, The Future

Seth Fischer bio ↓  ·  June 6th, 2010  ·  filed under Other

“I have no idea how to handle this new mode of living (I guess “living” is the word) in fiction. I probably spend more time e-mailing and reading online than I do having non-virtual human contact—and I bet I’m not that unusual. If my characters were like that, would their lives be eventful enough to write about? On the other hand, if I write about people for whom the internet is—as far as the reader can see—peripheral or nonexistent, am I not essentially writing historical fiction?”

— David Gates

PEN American has published an absolutely wonderful email exchange between Jonathan Lethem and David Gates in which they discuss reality, David Shields, the future of fiction, Facebook and Twitter, the importance of writing on a computer without an Internet connection, and lots more. (via Book Bench)

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Seth Fischer's writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Swink, Pank, Guernica, Monkeybicycle, Gertrude, and elsewhere. He's working on a novel about a girl who accidentally raises an army and destroys the world, and he's founding editor of The Splinter Generation. He also teaches and tutors and administrates and does copyediting and copywriting so that he can pay bills, but that only works sometimes. If you could help him make that work all the time, he would probably give you a hug, but only if you wanted one. Reach him at seth.fischer (at) gmail.com or @sethfischer. More from this author →

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