Where were you on the morning of September 11, 2001? What errands were you running, what classes were you taking, and what job were you arriving to on that fateful day? As the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks approaches, we’ve decided to run a group of quotes by writers and public intellectuals (as well as a graphic designer and comedian) who had something to say about the state of the city and the country in the days and years to follow. As David Remnick wrote in the New Yorker, “we pay tribute to the resilience of ordinary people in the face of appalling destruction.” But we also pay tribute to those who had the courage to discuss real issues when there was so much political showboating happening. So read on, dear readers, and let us know what words got you through this incredible shock to the system.
Read More »
TIME recently chose their favorite nonfiction books in English from the magazine’s inception in 1923 to today, and we decided to cull 10 from their list to present to you, dear readers. These are the books that have stayed in the public mind for years, which is increasingly difficult to do today, as we measure the popularity of a book now in months, if not days. In June, we featured 10 picks from the Guardian‘s Top 100 list of nonfiction titles, but these were culled from throughout history, making it tough to choose between, say, Herodotus and Hannah Arendt. With this 88-year span, however, the choices were somewhat easier. As always, let us know what you think of the books in the comments section below.
Read More »
This week, we came across this list of ‘books you really should have read in high school’ over at MSNBC’s Today Books. While their picks are definitely classics, most of which we did in fact have to read in high school, we think today’s youth (and any adults playing catch-up, which let’s be real, is almost everybody to some extent) would be better served by a few alternate choices. The classics are wonderful, but the canon should be fluid, allowing some experimental choices as well as the tried-and-true. Of course, kids today should read hundreds of books, if possible, so this is by necessity a finite, imperfect list reflecting, as it must, our own proclivities. Let us know your own choices for essential alternative high school reading in the comments!
Read More »
There were innumerable notable essays written between 1961 and today. However, even though it’s a crazy idea to attempt to make a top ten list of the pieces that shaped the era, that’s what we do at Flavorpill — so go with it, and tell us what we left out in the comments section below. This post was inspired by the University of Iowa’s nonfiction Essay Prize, which is “given each year to the work that best exemplifies the art of essaying — inquiry, experimentation, discovery, and change.” Get more details on the 2011 nominees here.
Read More »
Ever wondered how your favorite artist gets their work done? No, we mean, exactly how. As in, if we use the same pen Hemingway used, and the same kind of paper, and at the same time of day, maybe we’ll… nevermind. Regardless of pen type, there is something fascinating about the artist’s desk, and like anything else, everyone will draw their own far-reaching conclusions. In particular, it seems like everyone has their own opinion about what the state of someone’s workspace “means,” and we guess it has more to do with what the adage-makers own desks looked like than anything else. Whether a cluttered desk means a cluttered mind, or whether a cluttered desk just means a cluttered desk, or whether a messy desk is a sign of genius, we don’t know. But be their desks cluttered or clean, these creative people are definitely on this side of brilliant. Indulge in some harmless voyeurism and sneak a peek at the desks and workspaces of writers, artists, and thinkers. Then, it’s time to redecorate.
Read More »
The release of Quirk Classics’ The Meowmorphosis reimagines Franz Kafka’s classic tale with a Lolcat friendly kitten instead of the original insect. Although Kafka isn’t known to have been particularly cute or cuddly in either his life or work (though skittish, yes), we couldn’t help but ponder which animals do match up with famous authors. It’s an imprecise science, sure, but here are our bids for cross-species author/animal pairings.
Read More »
Bernard Schwartz directs the 92Y Poetry Center, and chief among his vocational duties is putting together 92Y‘s legendary lineup of literary readings and events each year. Just as diehard Harry Potter fans lined up for midnight showings of Half-Blood Prince earlier this summer, 92Y tickets are coveted and eagerly awaited among lit nerds. This year’s agenda includes poet Charles Simic, novelist A.S. Byatt, Sam Shepard, John Irving, and other assorted writerly heavy-hitters. Tickets go on sale today, August 3, and cost $10 for those age 35 and younger. After the jump, Bernard Schwartz recalls some of the center’s highlights, invokes a maritime metaphor, and tells us what we can expect this season. Read More »
We’ve always found the idea of Susan Sontag intimidating, and outside of some required reading in college (Against Interpretation), we avoided the voracious critic at all costs. Four years after her death, her son David Rieff — an author and academic himself — is publishing Sontag’s personal diaries in three installments; the first, Reborn: Journals and Notebooks, 1947-1963, came out last month and we were surprised when an excerpt in Book Forum sucked us in.
Read More »
Matthieson, Gordon-Reed win NBAs: National Book Awards were announced last night, and the honorees are Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter Matthiessen. Gordon-Reed won in the nonfiction category for The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family, a biography of Thomas Jefferson’s slaves (including Sally, his rumored scandalous lover). Matthiesson is a second-time NBA winner (in 1979 he won for The Snow Leopard), bringing in the fiction prize for Shadow Country, based on the life of a 19th-century farmer-cum-serial killer.
There was controversy over whether it should be elligible to compete as it’s a one-volume compilation of three novels that Matthiessen previously published. [NYT]
Read More »
