Andrew Davidson, author The Gargoyle (Doubleday) in conversation with Random House editor Gerry Howard
The ongoing Author/Editor series brings writers and editors together for conversations about the work and the process of creation. Davidson’s debut novel, about the tragic fated romance of a burn victim and a mysterious sculptress, is one of the most talked-about novels of the season. He will talk with his editor, Gerry Howard, about the early praise from booksellers and critics and the fascinating story of how his book was discovered.
News of Note
Staff Picks
Wide Sargasso Sea
Written by Rebecca
by Jean Rhys (W. W. Norton, $13.95)
Written because what was missing from English literature of a certain time was what was happening in the Carribean. Second sons went there and came back, but the "there" they went to was left blank. This book moves inside that literary history, taking the mad woman in the attic in Jane Eyre as its starting point. It's a story about colonialism, about growing up, about losing. It's wonderful, rich and dense and full of surprising language.
Stuff White People Like
Written by Adjua
by Christian Lander (Random House, $14.00)
Hillarious due to its often alarming accuracy, this faux ethnography of the affluent, left-leaning, degree-holding masses points a loving, knowing finger at what is so often called mainstream and shows that there are distinct peculiarities even here. A tinderbox of potentially offensive material, sure--but also a rare moment when the ubiquitous is made visible.
The ongoing Author/Editor series brings writers and editors together for conversations about the work and the process of creation. Davidson’s debut novel, about the tragic fated romance of a burn victim and a mysterious sculptress, is one of the most talked-about novels of the season. He will talk with his editor, Gerry Howard, about the early praise from booksellers and critics and the fascinating story of how his book was discovered.
Written because what was missing from English literature of a certain time was what was happening in the Carribean. Second sons went there and came back, but the "there" they went to was left blank. This book moves inside that literary history, taking the mad woman in the attic in Jane Eyre as its starting point. It's a story about colonialism, about growing up, about losing. It's wonderful, rich and dense and full of surprising language.
Hillarious due to its often alarming accuracy, this faux ethnography of the affluent, left-leaning, degree-holding masses points a loving, knowing finger at what is so often called mainstream and shows that there are distinct peculiarities even here. A tinderbox of potentially offensive material, sure--but also a rare moment when the ubiquitous is made visible.