During a Q&A at Lincoln Center, Jane reports that author T.C. Boyle took on book critic NY Times book critic Michiko Kakutani for not liking his new novel TALK, TALK.
On Talk, Talk‘s ending and Michiko Kakutani’s recent attack on it in the New York Times:
"The ending is beautiful, no matter what you might have heard from one
bitter, acerbic individual who’s miserable with her bleak reviewer’s
life. She wanted a more shoot-’em-up ending. But I think you’ll find
the book’s ending is a lot subtler, and a lot more beautiful, than
that. Here, I’ll read it for you so you can judge for yourself. I’ll
read the last sentence backwards because I don’t want to spoil it: "Her
behind in crowding universe the in sky blue the all with, ascendant,
him to next right, there her put he and too smile a her gave he." Now
you tell me, isn’t that beautiful?
(To be fair to Boyle, the Jane poster acknowledges that the quote is not verbatim, he relied on notes, not a recording).
No need to be fair to Boyle. I’ve had a distaste for the guy ever since his interview with Robert Birnbaum a few years ago, when he said he didn’t read genre fiction (“I don’t read it, don’t like it, don’t think about it”), that he had something that genre writers crave (“respect”), that genre writing “isn’t usually as good as literary fiction.” He honestly thinks that sci-fi and mystery have nothing to offer.
After I read that interview, it didn’t make me want to read any more Boyle.
I second Bob Sassone’s remarks!
Tom’s a frigging genius (there’s no doubt about that–ask David Morrell, one of his old profs) and he’s definitely sensitive and highly opinionated, as are we all at whatever level. At Iowa we all understood that about him, either personally or as his legendary publishing creds grew–and yet he’s one of the most genial and entertaining authors you could ever meet face-to-face. As far as attacking the critics, we witnessed some overly-sensitive genre authors taking shots at a NY Times review(er) with a super-soaker about exactly two weeks ago, right? As far as literary writing is concerned, I think Tom Boyle has been critiqued as an outsider–almost a genre unto himself–and he secretly fears he has not truly gained the “respect” he publicly laid claim to…
I always love it when people who know people of fame use their familiar names: Tom Boyle was talking to Dutch Leonard about Mike Connelly and what he said was what we all know, that Mike is a big fan of Rick Russo.
It’s his real name. No one calls him TC in real life.
What an asshole comment to make.
Oh, Rich, you even mention it in your own blog, that it’s okay for you to call him Tom because he gave you permission at the University of Iowa. If people didn’t think it was silly or weird, you wouldn’t feel the need to justify it. Great, you know his personal name. I’m off to call Annie Rice now…
Why is it silly to call a celebrity by their actual name, Mr. Nameless? Okay, okay, perhaps I WAS being a bit facetious myself in that blog entry–but you’ll still be an anonymous asshole in the morning… BTW, have you looked at Anne, er… I mean Annie Rice’s latest book? Absolute caca nutball shite–she should have put a vampire in there (at least) to give it some neo-gothic South Park chutzpah.