Comments on: the goddess jhumpa

By: C

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:50:33 +0000

sorry, didn’t read the comments before I posted to realize that Kristin said what I meant only much shorter and much nicer. maybe you got the end of a long workday frustration rant and I apologize for that. I do enjoy your reading your posts whether I agree or not.

By: C

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:46:30 +0000

God you intelligent/artistic/in-the-know bloggers irritate me to no end with your complaining. Criticize, please but have you not recognized the reason that we read you regularly is so that we can find out the good writers that don’t get ’slobbed’ over by the media? we read you because we are hungry to know what else is out there beside what mainstream powers try and spoonfeed us. You just increased the publicity for the writer who will get it all anyway plus a nice financial reward. do you know the names of the ’shafted’ writers and have the names of their work? that would be a better post. I already know it’s your blog and you have the right to say what you want I’m not disputing that but vent and inform, please?

By: SpliceGirl

SpliceGirl — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:11:11 +0000

Oh, I had wanted to say too that the film world is exactly like the literary world I see. The studios/media see a filmmaker they like and basically anoint them as a messiah. It’s so sad because there are so many talented people who would love a shot to work, most of the time they are more talented than the one who everyone is slobbering over.

The most recent example of this in film of course is Diablo Cody, writer of “Juno”. The most overwritten, overrated, over-hyped film of the last decade. She even won the Oscar because the media demanded it! She got all the press and no one even knew the other people nominated. She didn’t deserve the award but was considered the “shoe-in” so much that no one even bothered mentioning the other nominee’s (like with the shortlist you mentioned!) She won and she won on hype, not talent. She also won because the media has made her out to be this wild genius who is SO much more exciting than us, the little people, could ever dream to be.

By: SpliceGirl

SpliceGirl — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:06:06 +0000

Ha! Last week I had bought “Stranger Things Happen” by Kelly Link from a blog recommendation. I just started it yesterday and it’s good so far…I’ll let you know the verdict, because I know you can’t continue on until I tell you how I liked it.

By: Kristin

Kristin — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:20:22 +0000

Kafka, of course! And I love Mary Gaitskill (and a couple of the other well-known writers you mentioned). I’ve only recently come to Alice Munro: it was somewhat accidental and a lovely surprise. I will definitely check out Lorrie Moore and Amy Hempel–I haven’t yet. Thanks! Oh, and the up-and-comers, too, are now on my list. The ever-growing list!

By: Anglofille

Anglofille — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:22:32 +0000

Well, I’ve been reading Kafka’s stories, but those are classics!

As for people publishing now, one of my favorites is Lorrie Moore. Alice Munro is a master, as is Amy Hempel (a former teacher of mine). These three women are famous short story writers, but none of them receive the attention Lahiri does.

Another teacher of mine, Alice Mattison, is publishing short stories now and she is fabulous. William Trevor is a master. I also like George Saunders, who is very off-the-wall. Other well-known contemporary short story writers are Jayne Anne Phillips; Joy Williams; Anne Beattie; Barry Hannah; Mary Gaitskill; Junot Diaz and too many more to name.

I’ve heard great things about the following writers who are newer to the scene, but I have not personally read them: Nam Le’s first collection “The Boat” is receiving rave reviews; Kelly Link; Julie Orringer; Nell Freudenberger; Miranda July; Alison MacLeod.

By: Kristin

Kristin — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:54:40 +0000

Other writers like who? Give a little publicity (and suggestions to those of us out of the loop) for what’s worth reading right now in short stories. Pretty please.