weekend links: American authors, James Tate, The Runaways
Image courtesy of The Point.
It was the fourth of July last weekend—that most American of holidays. To commemorate the occasion, Lit Hub got together 50 non-American writers, editors, and other literary folks and asked them what they thought the three most quintessential “American” books were. Each participant’s choices are listed, and it serves as a great reminder of how many Great American Novels there really are. [Literary Hub]
The poet James Tate passed away earlier this week—RIP. Our friends at The Austin Review put together a little tribute, complete with one of Tate’s poems that appeared in the journal and a link to an interview he did with The Paris Review. Thanks, guys, for doing the legwork. [The Austin Review]
Speaking of RIPs, back in January we eulogized Kim Fowley, the eccentric rocker and former manager of the Runaways, who passed away from bladder cancer. We retract that now, in light of this devastating testimony from former bassist Jackie Fox. Trigger warning: be prepared to never listen to certain artists again. [Huffington Post]
Do you buy books just to keep them on your shelf and show them off like glittering badges to your houseguests? Of course not, neither do we… But there is something to be said for the book as art object (duh), and this piece explores the phenomenon. Speaking of—our new issue comes out at the end of the month! Look for it on a bookstore shelf near you! [The Point]
Austin folks: there’s a new exhibit opening tomorrow at the Blanton. Conflict of Interest’s Rebecca Marino spoke with artist Natalie Frank about her twisted pastel drawings inspired by tales from the Brothers Grimm. [Conflict of Interest]
And just for fun, here’s the first chapter of Go Set a Watchman, the highly anticipated sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. Rumor has it there’s a bit of a bombshell inside, but I haven’t read it yet, so don’t spoil it for me. Actually, I haven’t read To Kill a Mockingbird yet, either, so you can say whatever you like. Doesn’t it feel so good to get a confession off your chest? [Wall Street Journal]
—Sean Redmond