It’s been heartening to see the reaction to Permanent Earthquake, which was released this summer. But it’s especially cockle-warming to see a note of recognition from one of our best contemporary literary critics, Steven Moore. Moore is probably best known for his trailblazing work on William Gaddis, including his Reader’s Guide to William Gaddis’ TheContinue reading “Steven Moore’s List of the Most Impressive Books of 2021”
Tag Archives: william gaddis
El Cuaderno Perdido Review
Here is a rough translation of the opening of Facundo Melillo’s review of El Cuaderno Perdido. “How to start writing about this book? If the words do not reach me. Dara is a unique writer who refers to others but knows only himself. There are echoes of Pynchon, DeLillo, Manuel Puig, William Gaddis, Beckett and in turn somethingContinue reading “El Cuaderno Perdido Review”
The Lost Scrapbook – Goodreads Review
“For a book that has no discernible narrator and a multitude of anecdotal scenes which often times don’t resolve themselves and changes literary mid sentence this is a very readable book. Dara has drawn comparisons with Gaddis, especially Gaddis’ debut The Recognitions, but this book I believe is more comparable to Gaddis’ phenomenal JR. CeaselessContinue reading “The Lost Scrapbook – Goodreads Review”
The State of the Evan Dara Affinity
A notification from WordPress reminded me that this quixotic, Google-averse site turned 1 last month, with zero fanfare. The mission—which was cobbled together during last year’s Super Bowl between the Patriots and the Falcons—remains the same: to offer a forward operating base for supporters of Evan Dara, with an emphasis on collecting the articles, links,Continue reading “The State of the Evan Dara Affinity”
Postscript on Dara and Gaddis
Last month, I sketched out the case that Manuel Puig may have had more to do with the look and sound of Evan Dara’s novels than William Gaddis. But, while setting it up, I wrote that he had broken his silence on only one occasion, in swatting away Tom LeClair’s query about the influence ofContinue reading “Postscript on Dara and Gaddis”
The Embrace of Influence
In the 22 years since Evan Dara published his first novel, he has granted no interviews nor provided any substantive insight regarding his background or his working methods. Except once.
Satirizing Modernism
Emmett Stinson’s new book, Satirizing Modernism: Aesthetic Autonomy, Romanticism, and the Avant-Garde, comes out in June, and appears to be the first major critical work to wrestle with Evan Dara’s The Easy Chain, along with Thomas Love Peacock’s Nightmare Abbey, Wyndham Lewis’s The Apes of God, William Gaddis’s The Recognitions, and Gilbert Sorrentino’s Imaginative Qualities of ActualContinue reading “Satirizing Modernism”
Counterevidence
Earlier this year, I happened upon the audiobook of William Gaddis’s JR, a 37-hour tour de force narrated by Nick Sullivan which is essential listening for anyone seeking a deeper appreciation of this prescient radio tower of Babel. While I don’t absorb enough audiobooks to provide a trustworthy opinion, it’s clear why this title is so highlyContinue reading “Counterevidence”
Against Readability?
Last week, Ben Roth published an essay on The Millions entitled “Against Readability,” which was provocative in a fairly predictable way. But as he drew lines between the praiseworthy (e.g. Tom McCarthy’s Remainder) and the forgettable (Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch), it pushed a button that prompted a version of this kneejerk comment: As someone whoContinue reading “Against Readability?”
The Evan Dara Affinity 