Some Kind of 29th-Century Sci-Fi Lobster
Over at New York Magazine, Sam Anderson (interviewed here) has published a review of Inherent Vice that is one of the funniest pans of a novel I’ve ever read. “There is…
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Rumpus Articles
Stylistic Departure
Dan Chaon has written a guest post for Kepler’s Books’ blog, Well-Read Donkey, in which he discusses his love of thrillers, how we look at “genre” fiction versus “literary” fiction,…
David Rees: The Last Book I Loved, The Plague
“Followed by scowls and protestations, (the doctor) left the committee-room. Some minutes later, as he was driving down a black street redolent of fried fish and urine, a woman screaming…
Sex and the Witty
There’s Something Wrong with Sven combines imaginative leaps worthy of Calvino and Vonnegut with tragicomic irreverence of the George Saunders variety.
The Sketchy History of Times New Roman
“The case that Parker makes about the real origins of Times New Roman stands on narrow foundations. The sole piece of surviving evidence for his version of history is a…
A FAN’S NOTES, The Rumpus Sports Column #13: Roberto Bolano Counts His Pitches
A few nights ago I dreamed I was a member of the New York Yankees.
The Pixies Meet Jean Luc-Godard
A “video to Pixies’ ‘Wave of Mutilation’ using shots from Jean-Luc Godard’s Pierrot le fou (Pierrot Goes Wild) from 1965.” (via @MarisaNakasone)
Morning Coffee
Not really sure what these are, but they sure are pretty. Faces from The Wire. Don’t know what to tweet? You’re welcome. Bicycle “ticketed” for being badass and unique. A…
Charlie Stross Talks Happy Slapping, Robot Chauffeurs with Paul Krugman
I just came across this transcript of a conversation between Paul Krugman and the sci-fi writer Charlie Stross. They talk about why flying cars are a bad idea, what kitchens…
How Idioms Might Save the World
“…I was astonished (original meaning = struck by lightning) by something Bob Mankoff … said in a Charlie Rose Show interview. He said he thought of “humor as a necessary…
Smart People Talk Short Stories
In a post last week titled More Crappy News for Short Story Writers, I lamented what I considered to be a lost opportunity for the big publishing houses. They could,…