Dirda On Books Michael Dirda Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, March 10, 1999

Michael Dirda The Washington Post

Michael Dirda's name appears weekly in The Post's Book World section: – If he's not reviewing a fat literary biography or an ambitious new novel, he's likely to be writing a light-hearted essay about the joys and burdens of living in a house filled with way too many books. Though holding a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Cornell, Dirda is still smart enough to be an unabashed fan of "The Simpsons," noting that "the show's genius derives from its details." He also loves P.G. Wodehouse, intellectual history, children's books and locked room mysteries--Just the sort of range you'd expect from a Pulitzer Prize winner for distinguished criticism.

These days, Dirda says he spends inordinate amounts of time mourning his lost youth and daydreaming ("my only real pastime"). Otherwise he just reads books and writes about them, with occasional visits to second-hand bookstores in search of treasures. He claims that the happiest hours of his week are spent sitting in front of a computer working on his reviews and Readings columns. Never afraid of self-criticism and in fact pretty good at it, Dirda once noted: "Do not imagine that I regard my taste for literary artifacts as anything but shameless and vulgar. I have sunk so low as to covet Edward Gorey coffee mugs. I yearn for a bust of Dante to place on a bookcase."

Michael Dirda: Welcome to Book Talk, a weekly on-line column I'll be doing here at washingtonpost.com.Feel free to ask any question you like about Book World, books, publishing, collecting, my own reviews and essays, whatever you feel like, so long as it involves reading and the world of books. I tend to be a freewheeling sort of guy, so expect fast answers, with occasional typing errors. Let's have fun.

Mt. Rainier MD: Lately I have been reading a lot more biography. I picked up "All on Fire" (William Lloyd Garrison) which is an entire education by itself. And I'm looking forward to reading "The Good Man of Nanking" (von Rabe). I find that it's really difficult to find GOOD biographies in the chain bookstores - it's all the movie stars and cheap exposes. Where is a good place to look? And what books would you recommend?
p.s. I really look forward to your column in Book World.

Michael Dirda: I love biography too, but I tend to favor literary lives. Try some of the smaller bookshops in your area, and don't neglect used bookstores either. Not to mention the library. And of course there are all kinds of book serveices online that can help you find books. As for favorite biogs, here are a few:

Richard Ellmann's James Joyce--the greatest literary biography of the century.
Ellmann's Oscar Wilde--not quite as good, but Wilde is such a wonderful character that the book is unputdownable. Look for Rupert Hart Davis's edition of the Wilde letters too--it's as funny and wonderful--and touching--as any book ever written.
Martin Stannard's Evelyn Waugh--two volumes. Waugh was such a monster of vanity and wit that his fans can't get enough of him. Stannard can be a little plodding, and some readers--not me--may prefer the one volume life by Selina Hastings.
Richard Holmes--Coleridge: Early Visions--a wonderful life of the great romantic poet. The second volume, which I'm reading now, will be out next month.
Graham Robb--Victor Hugh--a larger than life figure and fun to read about.
There are dozens others. One fun book about biography is A.j.A Symons's The Quest for Corvo--about how Symons interviewed people who knew the legendary decadent writer.

Washington, DC: Do you have a favorite author in the new-and-improved world of female mystery writers? If so, who and what do you like about their work? I pity those pseudo-literary types who dismiss mystery fiction as literature. Fortunately, a glance at any bestseller's list shows that they are becoming a dying breed. By the way, thanks for the forum!!

Michael Dirda: I don't have a favorite new female mystery writer, being mainly a fan of Golden Age whodunits. Of these I remain an unregnerate Dorothy Sayers fan, deeply admiring Gaudy Night--a book that many people seem to hate. Of modern mystery writers I most like Donald E Westlake, both as himself and as the hardboiled Richard Stark. I miss Ross Thomas.

Oakton, VA.: What was your opinion of the late Alfred Kazin as a critic? Did you find his criticism to be of interest or value?

Michael Dirda: As I'm going to read at a memorial service for Kazin this weekend, I'd better say I liked him as a critic. In fact, I did--though I prefer his early and middle work to his later histories of American literature. His memoirs are first-rate and quite wonderful--especially his portraits of people like Edmund Wilson. Kazin is a critic I admire more than I love--in that latter category I would include Randall Jarrell, William Empson, Northrop Frye and Cyril Connolly.

Florence, Italy: You seem sympathetic to writers in science fiction such as Gene Wolfe, Avram Davidson and John Crowley. None of these writers - despite the quality of their work - has received much mainstream recognition. Do you hold any hope that writers in genres such as SF and crime will achieve a wider audience and more general critical respect?

Michael Dirda: I love all three of these writers--and have written long pieces about all of them. For years I've been trying to get friends, colleagues and readers to understand that some genre writers are the equal of any novelists now at work. (You've picked my absolute favorites, along with Jack Vance, Terry Pratchett, the late Philip K. Dick, and J.G. Ballard). But people don't seem to be as adventurous in their reading as they used to be--they read the best seller lists and don't venture into new territory enough. Still, I hope that the future will realize just how fine these guys are. But literature is a vocation of unhappiness. So who can say? And, by the way, how do you know about these writers, living in Florence?

Annandale VA: Hello, Michael.

First, I'd like to say that the one thing my wife and I always look for in Book World is your byline. You seem to have managed to do what the rest of us dream about: getting paid to read books! Neat!

Question (if this is a question): My current quirky reading is related to my 5-yr-old son, who's very big into Thomas the Tank Engine. I've stumbled upon The Complete Collection, the original British stories (and illustrations) in one hardbound volume, recently published it seems. Charming stuff (esp for Anglophiles)! Have you encountered *British* children's books such as Thomas?

Michael Dirda: My kids are now 8, 11 and 14, so we've moved beyond the Thomas level. But there's a lot of wonderful British stuff for slightly older kids: Joan Aiken's fantasies about Dido Twite in an alternate 19th century, Philip Pullman's amazing The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife--the first two parts of a trilogy that is certainly the best fantasy series in 20 years. Phillipa Pearce's heartbreakingly wonderful time travel novel, Tom's Midnight Garden. The recent Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. For little kids, though, I'd be sure to read the Americans: Daniel Pinkwater (for this age: The Big Orange Splot and I was a SEcond Grade Werewolf), James Marshall's stories of George and Martha (one volume edition), James Stevenson's Grandpa tall tales, Chris Van Allsburg and my favorite, William Joyce, especially A Day with Wilbur Robinson.
atrilogyyou have a lot of wonderful reading in store for I'm fond of a lot of picsomet

Washington, DC: I have recently noticed that publishers are printing books that proudly display "Oprah Book Club" on the front covers. Do you feel this does damage to how people choose and evaluate books?

Michael Dirda: Two minds: ANything that encourages people to read good books is good. But I don't like best seller lists or Oprah insofar as they tend to channel people's reading too narrowly. The world is filled with all kinds of books, and people who use the best seller list or Oprah as their guides are missing out. People should talk to friends, librarians, bookstore owners; they should open books at random and read a page; they should experiment more. I hate to think of all these poets and young novelists who go begging for a few good readers, while John Grisham or Toni Morrison sell another million copies. Read at whim!

Washington, DC : Let me get this straight, Mr. Dirda: You have a full time job, a family, a life and yet you seem to read books like a human vacuum cleaner. (I mean this as a compliment, as I admire you greatly.) How on earth do you find the time to absorb yourself in reading? How many hours a day do you actually spend reading? And are you a speed reader?

Michael Dirda: And not only do I have a job, family, a life, etc., I'm also a caped crusader by night. I'm not a speed reader; in fact, I move my lips while I read (the despair of my elementary school teachers). But I read on the subway, I don't watch any television other than The Simpsons, seldom go the movies, don't get enough sleep, and--according to my Beloved Spouse--sometimes neglect my family and domestic chores. But look, if you read 2 hours a day Monday-Friday, you can certainly read anything published in a week. You just need to want to. On the other hand, Thoreau said it doesn't matter how many books you get through as how many books get through you. Better to read a handful of good books well than skim a dozen.

ALEXANDRIA, VA.: Who are your favorite witty writers of the last few decades?

Michael Dirda: FAvorite witty writers of recent time: Terry Pratchett, Tom Holt, David Lodge, Malcolm Bradbury. You might want to look for my list--of last August--of 100 comic novels (one book per author), with brief comments. My all time faveorte comic writers, though, are P.G. Wodehouse, Ronald Firbank, and Evelyn Waugh.

Oakton, VA.: Thanks for your answer to the Kazin question. Can you tell us where and when the memorial service will be held? If it's open to the public, I'd like to attend.

Michael Dirda: Jewish Community Center downtown. Don't know exact address.

Falls Church, VA: I loved Mark Helperin's "A Soldier of the Great War." I've also enjoyed some of his other fare. However, I recall hearing that his own biographical details may be as fictional as his body of work. Can you shed any light on this for me?

Thanks!

Michael Dirda: I've also heard that Helprin is creative with his biography, but does it matter? Writers always manufacture the pasts they need. What was it Lawrence used to say, "Trust the tale, not the teller?"

Memphis, Tennessee: I would like to hear your comments on William Faulkner and a book of his you read.

Michael Dirda: Funny you should ask. I've always admired Faulkner, without really loving his work. However, I've recently become friends with a Faulkner scholar and have been planning on reading or rereading his work this fall. The books I've read--Sound and the Fury, The Unvanquished, lots of stories, including The Bear--are all quite impressive. But when I was younger, his bombast and rehtorical flights annoyed me. But I feel somewhat more sympathetic these days to ornamentation, having to deal with stripped down journalistic prose all day.

Alexandria VA: Just to get this out of the way--your column is the first thing I read in the Sunday edition after the headlines.

Who do you feel are the more interesting or successful "experimental" (for lack of a better word) writers of the last 20 years?

Michael Dirda: Glad you like my work. Favorite "experimental" writers include: Gilbert Sorrentino (Mulligan Stew and Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things), Georges Perec (Life a Users Manual), Harry Mathews (all his novels), and a whole lot of writers who may or may not be experimental: J.G. Ballard, Russell Hoban, Angela Carter, Stanley Elkin, William Gass, William Gaddis.

Arlington, VA: When I was a kid, the New York Post's theater critic, Richard Watts, Jr., would tell us about his rereading Sir Walter Scott who I don't think is read today. Who do you think are the "great" writers who deserve a revival?

Michael Dirda: I read Waverley in grad school and thought it was pretty good--but then people always say that Mikey will like anything. Deserving revival? I think it's important for people to explore beyond the received canon. Bet you haven't read much Dickens (try Bleak House), or George Gissing (New Grub Street--a scathing portrayal of writing and journalism), or Charlotte Bronte's Villette (an awesome depiction of human loneliness). Frankly, I don't think people read enough poetry either. Try Wordsworth's The Prelude or Byron's Don Juan--both classics, both exceptionally beautiful or witty, and neither as much read as they deserve.

Washington, D.C.: I notice that occasionally, in your columns, you mention various literary journals. Which ones would you recommend the most highly to the general reader?

Michael Dirda: Don't pay attention to literary awards. Remember what I said about best seller lists and Oprah--such honorifics narrow the field too much. I think writers tend to get awards when they no longer need them and generally for the wrong books. Follow your own tastes. Lists--and I like them--should be suggestive only. Which is why I like to give lots of quotations when I recommend a book--so the reader can decide whether it's the sort of thing he or she likes.

Bethesda, MD: What is your favorite book and why? Who do you think is the greatest writer living today?

Michael Dirda: My favorite book--couldn't say. Some favorites though are: Stendhal's Life of Henry Brulard, Nabokov's Lolita, Lampedusa's The Leopard, Murasaki's The Tale of Genji, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Gibbon's Decline and Fall, Waugh's Decline and Fall, and about three dozen more. The greatest living writer? Probably Garcia Marquez, even though I haven't liked his latest stuff all that much.

Michael Dirda: Oh, I seem to have misread an early question, which was about literary journals--my myopic eyes saw literary awards. I read a lof of these, some fairly high brow, others partisan about one cause and another. You might try, besides Book World of course, the Times LIterary Supplement, The American Scholar, The New Criterion, Conjunctions, the London Review of Books, Paris Review, Hungry Mind Review, the Spectator, and the various quarterlies. I tend to look for certain reviewers whose work I like: John Sutherland, for instance, who writes about Victorian literature, modern best sellers and the book industry.

Washington, D.C.: I recently read Saramago's "The History of the Siege of Lisbon" and am now reading A.S. Byatt's "Possession." I find that I really enjoy novels, like these, about writing and writers. Can you recommend some others along similar lines?

Michael Dirda: You might try some of the academic comedies: Randall Jarrell's Pictures from an Institution (about a fictionalzied Mary McCarthy), Waugh's The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold, the works of Malcolm Bradbury and David Lodge, Nabokov's Pale Fire and The Real LIfe of Sebastian Knight, some of John Barth, a lot of Gilbert Sorrentino, especially Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things. All of these are very funny--sometimes funnyh peculiar.

Washington, DC: I have tried reading the new Harry Potter book to my 7 year old son. He loves books and reading and is now happily producing his own "books" and wacky comic strips. But every time I suggest reading Harry Potter he asks for something else, usually Dr. Seuss. My question: Is a seven-year-old just too young for a book of this nature? Is it something I should put away for another year or so?

Michael Dirda: Yes. You can never force books on kids. They like what they like and the best you can do is surround them with all kinds of choices. Harry Potter is really a book for a 10-12 year old. You might try The Hobbit, but Ithink your son should still be looking at picture books with you. You have lots of time for chapter books.

Arlington, VA: Since we're coming up to St. Paddy's Day, I thought I'd be seasonal. I spent last year living in Belfast and the past seven years married to a native, so I've developed a keen interest in current Irish literature. I've tried to hit a broad range, from Colin Bateman to John McGahern to Dermot Bolger, but wondered if you could recommend others (fiction writers), particularly women (I have read Mary Costello's wonderful "Titanic Town", but that seems to be all she's published).

Michael Dirda: Your probably more familiar with modern Irish writers than I am. But do you know my favorite, Flann O'Brien, who wrote wonderfully funny columns as Myles na Gopaleen (see The Best of Myles). An incredible ear for spoken speech. At one point he imagines a special escort service: All the escorts are ventriloquists who carry on both sides of the conversation so that people think you are incredibly witty. Well worth the money.

Washington, DC: Hi Michael, What do you think of Vintage Classics Best 100 Novels in the English Language of the 20th Century? A number of great books have been left out - and some questionable ones have been included.

Michael Dirda: Vintage classics--marketing scheme. But anything that keeps good books in print is aces. on the other hand, you can find most of these titles for a couple of bucks in a used bookshop.

Washington, DC: What's your opinion of this year's PEN/Faulkner nominees, and who would have made it onto your list if you were chosen to compile one?

Michael Dirda: No one ever nominates my favorite books. One reason why I got tired of serving on various award committees. THis year I'd have picked, oh, Steven Millhauser's The Knife Thrower and Other Stories--but then I'd always pick Millhauser: He's America's best, little known writer, along with Russell Hoban, Gilbert Sorrentino and James Salter.

Springfield, VA: A quick question. Have you ever come across Janwillem VanDerWetering's mysteries? I had the pleasure of accidently discovering them and enjoy them a great deal, however they rarely ever seem to be reviewed.

Michael Dirda: Have always meant to read him. My boss, Nina King, is a great fan. Did you know that he recently wrote a biography of Robert VAn Gulik, creator of Judge Dee, a book we did review. I don't think he's as active a writer as he used to be.

DC: Some of my favorite literature involves accounts of youth run amok; The Ginger Man, On the Road, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Any suggestions for further reading?

Michael Dirda: I presume you know Lord of the Flies, William Burroughs' work and books by Irvine Welsh and Roddy Doyle. I'm fond of all the books on your list too, and am sure to have better suggestions just as soon as I stop typing.

Michael Dirda: Well, times up. Sorry I couldn't get to all the questions. Try me next week on Wednesday when I'll be on at 2, my regular hour. Keep reading!