Calling it Quits- the last Literary Lion of his Generation

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Jack of All Parades
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Calling it Quits- the last Literary Lion of his Generation

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Appropriate that it should be a cover page story for the Sunday NY Times. Philip Roth is calling it a career. Retiring at 80 and after one of the greatest runs in American Literature. I always thought he would be one who would go down with his pen in hand until his last breath. That may well be but whatever he will be writing will be for his own consumption. I, for one, will miss the company of new work though I still have Pynchon to hopefully enjoy for years to come with new efforts. A happy and well deserved retirement Mr. Roth is wished for you. :D

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/books ... en.html?hp
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
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Otis Westinghouse
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Re: Calling it Quits- the last Literary Lion of his Generati

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Well there's still the novella written by email with an 8 year old to look forward to (what?)!

Nemesis was so powerful, I can see he might think he wouldn't and couldn't top that. Pynchon is 4 and a bit years younger, if memory serves. Wonder what he has up his sleeve. Would love something big and final-feeling from him that had the heart of Mason & Dixon with the humour of Gravity's Rainbow and was set somewhere in the 60s or 70s. I really liked Inherent Vice.

Roth names EL Doctorow, who I haven't read for years but really liked Ragtime and The Book of Daniel, and De Lillo, and Franzen. And someone whose name is new to me, Denis Johnson.

Would be keen to read the forthcoming biography. I have Zuckerbound Unbound awaiting me first (on your advice!).
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Re: Calling it Quits- the last Literary Lion of his Generati

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Otis- I have read Johnson for more years than I want to admit- I started out with his collection "The Incognito Lounge" back in the early 80s as he started out writing as a poet. I moved on to his fiction of which I am admirer. Cannot recommend his novels "Angels", "Fiskadoro"[of which Roth gushed when it came out as the closest thing to Melville he had ever read], "Stars at Noon", "Tree of Smoke" National Book Award winner a few years ago and a tremendous Vietnam era novel, "Already Dead-a Califorinia Gothic and "Nobody Move"- a noir novel like "Inherent Vice" from a few years back, enough. Last year he published a novella "Train Dreams" which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize along with DFW's "The Pale King". He also has a story collection, "Jesus' Son", which was made into a good movie many years ago with Billy Crudup in the main character roll as they were connected stories. It was named by the NY Times readership in a poll a number of years back as one of the 25 most important American works of fiction of the last fifty years.

Can you tell I like him? If you have time in your crowded reading life, I urge you to make room for him.
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
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Re: Calling it Quits- the last Literary Lion of his Generati

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

God, where have I been?

'Jesus' Son' may be at least in part, a ref to the immortal line in the Velvets' magnificent 'Heroin', 'And I feel just like Jesus' son'.

More stuff on the list...
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Re: Calling it Quits- the last Literary Lion of his Generati

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Otis- the title came directly from the song as you point out. Diamond hard stories about addiction and degradation. Do not beat yourself up so hard- that is how I felt when you and some other board members a few years back lead me to Sebastian Coe- I was so embarrassed by my ignorance. Should not have been, but I could not help myself. Have been catching up on him ever since.
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Re: Calling it Quits- the last Literary Lion of his Generati

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

At the Olympics ceremonies? Sorry! You mean Jonathan Coe. Understandable to confuse the two in 2012! What a Carve Up!, great book.
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Re: Calling it Quits- the last Literary Lion of his Generati

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Proves my point about my ignorance- still cannot get the name right even though I have greatly enjoyed that book and "The Closed Circle". Once again you set me on the right path!!!!!
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Re: Calling it Quits- the last Literary Lion of his Generati

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Just made me chuckle with one Coe being of the left and the other a former Tory MP!
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Re: Calling it Quits- the last Literary Lion of his Generati

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Otis- laughed soundly with this piece from today's Slate:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/201 ... _from.html

particularly liked some of the comments-the vampire suggestion for one!
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Re: Calling it Quits- the last Literary Lion of his Generati

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Splendid!
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Re: Calling it Quits- the last Literary Lion of his Generati

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Seems Mr. Roth has been used in a hoax of sorts-perhaps?:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/ ... /?ref=arts
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
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