Posts by author
Jake Slovis
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Expanding The Book Universe
For the New Yorker, Louis Menand explores how the 1939 launch of Pocket Books “transformed the culture of reading.” The mass-market paperback line was one of the first to be sold at newsstands, a method of distribution that made pulp novels…
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Lewis’s Spiritual Rebellion
For the Guardian, Hilary Mantel wonders where to “shelve” C.S. Lewis’s A Grief Observed. While the work’s Christian themes make it tempting to label it as a “religious” text, Mantel argues that the book is complicated by Lewis’s “crisis of faith” after the death of…
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Anderson Doesn’t “Cut and Paste”
In an interview for NPR, director Paul Thomas Anderson shares his experience adapting Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice for the big screen: I approached it in the most straightforward but laborious way I could come up with. I transcribed the dialogue… And there were…
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Subjective Objectivism
For the Atlantic, John Paul Rollert attends an Objectivist conference in Las Vegas to explore the legacy of Ayn Rand’s work. While for many Objectivists the philosophy “begins, and ends, with the word of Ayn Rand,” others question the “amenability” of Rand’s…
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Writers Read For “Guilty Pleasure” Too
In the second volume of the series “How Writers Read,” The Believer asks a diverse group of authors (including Teju Cole and Graham Foust) about their reading preferences. Questions range from what the authors read for “guilty pleasure,” to whether they prefer shorter or…
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Ishiguro Admits To Binge Writing
Kazuo Ishiguro shares his experience writing the first draft of The Remains of The Day over a four-week period, which he calls “the Crash.” Each day he wrote from 9:00 am to 10:30 pm, hoping to “reach a mental state in which my…
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Exploring the “Russian Soul”
For the New York Times, Francine Prose and Benjamin Moser share their experiences reading 19th century Russian literature. While Prose shows an appreciation for the timeless themes of Tolstoy and Gogol, Moser contends that what makes 19th century Russian writers distinctive is the…
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On the “Novelty” of Strong Women
For the Guardian, Hannah Ellis-Peterson discusses the success of Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist. Since its debut this summer, the author’s first novel has received acclaim for its strong female characters. However, Burton has since expressed frustration over the perception of “strong women” in…
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Bookstores, Strike A Pose
For Slate, David Rosenberg explores the work of Bryan David Griffith, who spent the year photographing independent bookstores around the US. According to Griffith, the project is not meant to be nostalgic, but rather serves as a “study about the retail space,…
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Robinson Renewed
For The Millions, Alex Engebretson argues that despite the twenty-four year gap between the publication of Marilynne Robinson’s first and second novel, the author’s recurring themes and imagery present a “singular vision”: Instead of an author who recreated herself late in…
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Tart, Mitchell, and Gaiman to the Rescue
After years of financial struggle, Barnes & Noble’s enlists renowned authors like Donna Tart, David Mitchell and Neil Gaiman to help compete with Amazon this holiday season. While Tart and Mitchell will contribute thousands of signed books to helps bolster…
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Michael Chabon: Rock God
For the Guardian, John Dugdale examines the history of collaborative work between well-known musicians and authors. The impetus for the article stems from recent reports of Michael Chabon’s contributions to Mark Ronson’s forthcoming album.