Roberto Bolaño wrote "2666," which was named Time Magazine's Best Book of 2008. Difficult, cranky, opinionated--and dead--he is finally catching on in the English-speaking world. It's about time. For more on Bolaño, click here. Read the NYRB review of "2666" is here. Read an insightful piece on "2666" by Marcela Valdes in the Nation here.
Christmas shopping for books?
This year, my favorites were "The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," by Junot Diaz; "Tree of Smoke," by Denis Johnson; "The Midnight Disease," by Alice Flaherty, "How Fiction Works," by James Wood, "The Savage Detectives," by Roberto Bolaño, "Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein, and "Lush Life," by Richard Price. (I just started the last book, and I can already tell you it will make my list.) That's four fiction, and two non-fiction, if anyone is counting.
For more Best Books of 2008, check out these lists:
New York Times Best Books of 2008
Michiko Kakutani, NYTimes
Janet Maslin, NYTimes
Publisher's Weekly
2008 National Book Award Winners--listen to them read HERE.
PAST POSTS ON WRITERS AND WRITING
Since we started this blog, a good deal of space has been devoted to writers and writing. The list below will help you look up past stories and interviews.
Jorge Luis Borges is HERE
Thomas Pynchon is HERE
Cormac McCarthy, Ken Kesey, Jonathan Lethem, & Jonathan Franzen are HERE.
Denis Johnson and David Foster Wallace are HERE
Colson Whitehead, & Tin House Writers Conference is HERE
David Foster Wallace is HERE
Roberto Bolano is HERE
Tim O'Brien and Amy Hempel are HERE
Tim O'Brien on War Stories are HERE
Junot Diaz is HERE
Henry Miller is HERE
Charles d'Ambrosio is HERE
Norman Mailer chats with Martin Amis HERE
Norman Mailer's obituary is HERE
Ray Bradbury is HERE
"Great Short Stories" are HERE
"Reading Books" is HERE
Michael Chabon and Oakley Hall are HERE
"Every Day I Write the Book" is HERE
