Dirda On Books Michael Dirda Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, March 31, 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."

New York, NY: Do you have any advance word or a publication date on the non-fictional book William Gaddis completed before his death? I believe it's titled Agape, and from what I'm told, it sounds exactly like the book his Jack Gibbs character was working on in JR.

Michael Dirda: Sorry we were late getting started today: computer and human glitches.
ABout the Gaddis book, I've heard that the book was basically finished and publishable--but I don't really know any more about it. If you've checked in here before, you know I'm a big Gaddis fan, so I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open.

New York, NY: You're my favorite book critic, Mr. Dirda, esp. because you do a wonderful job of steering me towards books in genres I either don't typically read or know little about. Anyway, here's my version of the old question: if NASA sent you to an alien civilization to give them five books, which would they be? What would be your criteria? Would you pick the most "artful" and well-written books, or the books that best "represent" humanity? -Of course these aren't exclusive categories.- My list would definately includes 'Ulysses' for its breadth, art, and earthy comedy. What do you say?

Michael Dirda: Ah, the alien contact question. I'd probably pick five books that most represented what it means to be human: In no particular order, Montaigne's Essays, the Bible, Shakespeare's plays, maybe DAnte's Commedia or Ulysses or War and Peace. If it had to be one book, though, it would be the Montaigne--who would also be my representative the Pan Galactic Council.

charlottesville, va: Two of my favorite novelists are Toby Olson and James Salter. Olson's last work was poetry, I believe, and Salter's was his autobiography. Do you know if either plans more fiction?

Michael Dirda: Don't know about Olson. I read Salter nearly 25 years ago--A Sport and a Pastime: "It seems these luminous days will never end"--what a wonderful heartbreaking book--and I reviewed Solo Faces. Since then we've become friends. This season he'll be bringing out a revised and polished version of his elusive second novel, The Arm of Flesh. By the way, if you read Burning the Days you may recall the loving portrait of Robert Phelps, Salter's literary conscience and my mentor, in many ways: It was Robert who got me to read A Sport. Everyone who ever knew Phelps misses him. No one ever loved books more or better.

Springfield, VA: Mr. Dirda:
Do you collect rare old books? If so, what is your favorite first edition that you own? I love my 1970s Hamburglar adventure comic. Unfortunately, it's not in good condition - a child has already filled in the jumble (the answer is 'fries').

Michael Dirda: I do collect books, but not primarily as a serious investment. I accumulate the books I need to write my reviews and essays--and because I love certain authors. My most valuable first edition is probably the signed copy of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. We come from the same town, Lorain, Ohio, and she won the Nobel the same year I received a Pulitizer for criticism. My favorite of my collectables is probably my mint first of All the King's Men, one of the greatest American novels.

Baltimore, Maryland: Like many readers, I found the Modern Library's list of the best 100 English-language books of the century deeply flawed and unreliable. Do you agree? Are there any compilations or lists of the century's great literature that you would recommend as alternatives?

Michael Dirda: Flawed is an understatement, though all the books on the list are worth reading. At the time I did a counter list of the 100 best comic novels--I thought the list too earnest and serious. There are lots of lists of books worth reading--from the St. John's curriculum to a wonderful book about neglected books (the title of which escapes me). I think the best general list is still thge book that got me started: Clifton Fadiman's The Lifetime Reading Plan, available in many editions, new and used.

New York, NY: I hear that a forthcoming new edition of Nabokov's autobiography - Speak, Memory - contains some previously published material. Do you have any information about this?

Michael Dirda: Previously unpublished, I presume. VN wrote a last chapter in which he reviewed his own book--this appeared recently in the New Yorker and I suspect will be the most substantial change in any new edition. There is, however, a new biography of Vera (Mrs. VN) by Stacy Schiff, which I've just read and plan to write about tonight. Check Book World in three weeks or so.

Washington, DC: What's your take on all the book awards given out these days? Are the National Book Awards a true indicator of the best books to come out in a year, or, as Don Imus would have it, an indicator of the books most admired by literary snobs? I actually don't have an opinion one way or the other, but I have been disappointed by some past winners, especially "Cold Mountain".

Michael Dirda: All book awards are the products of committees and compromise; hence, most of the winners are bound to be compromises, and the most innovative books will be passed over. STill, prizes do lead readers to try new books, and the honors seldom go to totally unworthy works. I thought Underworld, by Don DeLillo should have won the NBA. If you like genre books, you should look to the winners of the Edgar, Hugo and RITA awards, for mystery, science fiction, and romance, rspectively.

Crofton, Maryland: My wife and I have read to our daughter ever since she was very young. Now she's six and an avid reader, especially of the American Girl Series. I even fnd the books in her bed, since she obviously wakes up in the middle of the night and reads. Any tips on keeping up her enthusiasm for reading? I would hate to see her lose interest in books wen the pre-teen years come along.

Michael Dirda: I read to myh three sons--now 14, 12 and 8--and one is a reader, one isn't, and one may be. It's a mystery to me why some kids take to books and some don't. My only advice is this: Let your child see you and your wife reading. Keep books and magazine around the house. Make sure that she knows that reading is a pleasure, not a burden. Don't berate her to read anything in particular--let her choose her own books. Take her to bookstores and the library. Keep reading fun.

Centreville, VA: I love to read but I always get tired doing it...What is the best environment for reading? Is it better to read at night or morning?

Michael Dirda: I often start reading late at night and find myself falling asleep, in spite of myself or the quality of the book. I think sitting at a table or desk is the best place for serious reading. Drink coffee, if you need to. Read in both the morning and evening. Why choose between such pleasures? It's like decideing to eat only breakfast or dinner. Do both.

Arlington VA: Michael: I'm attempting to get my PhD in English. I need to take the GRE Subject Test in Literature, and I'm planning on spending the summer preparing for it, as well as enriching myself. What-how do you recommend approaching this?

Michael Dirda: Hmmm. You can't read everything in a summer. But you could focus your energies on periods or authors or subjects you don't know well. GEt hold of the Norton Anthology or a similar survey and make sure you have at least some familiarity with every author of importance. When I was in 9th grade I read the Concise Cambridge History of English Literature in two volumes and that helped me get a feel for the place of most writers in our heritage. But I was a warped kid.

Minneapolis, Minnesota: Do you have any advice for a first-time novelist about how to get my work published. I'm still many months away from completing my work, but I will really feel that much of my effort was wasted if it is not seen by others. Where do I start?

Michael Dirda: Well, ask some friends to read the manuscript. Better yet ask friends who've published books to read the ms. If that's not possible, look into one of the various writer's Centers and writing groups that you can find in most big cities, and see if there might be some kind of first-time author critique group. It's hard road, becoming a novelist. Good luck.

Telluride, CO: Speaking of Nabokov, I am reminded of his famous feud with Edmund Wilson over the translation of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin. Recently, I have read interviews with Nabokov in which he ridicules translators of famous Russian novels, particularly Contance Garnett, who translated Anna Karenin. Is there any publication or periodical that reviews translations? And, with respect to Anna Karenin, is there a concensus as to which is the best translation?

Michael Dirda: Field magazine is devoted to translations of foreign poetry. I think Delos was aimed at translations. And there's at least one other that escapes me. The favored translators of Tolstoy are Aylmer and Louise Maude, who both knew the nvoelist. Their work is sometimes lightly corrected and revised in modern editions, but look for their name on your copy of Anna K.

Baltimore, Maryland: I couldn't agree more with your view that Underworld should have won the NBA over Cold Mountain. A travesty, in my view. I'm curious, would you agree with me that Underworld is the towering masterpiece of at least the 1990s, and possibly a longer period. It is hard to imagine a book as large in its sweep and vision and so expertly executed.

Michael Dirda: Yes and no: I actually thought that Mason & Dixon--a much less inviting novel--was a greater artistic achievement than Underworld. But M&D was too quirky, too autumnal, too little read to win an award. From the 1990s I also greatly admire William Gass's controversial The Tunnel and Cormac McCarthy's Allthe Pretty Horses, though Blood Meridian remains his masterpiece, a towering work of American literature, comparable to Moby-Dick.

Alexandria, Virginia: Mr. Dirda, this year is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jorge Luis Borges, who to my mind is one of the greatest writers of this century and a great read as well. Are any events planned for the Washington area to mark this? I understand there are to be events in New York, but I haven't been able to find out where.

Michael Dirda: Haven't heard anytyhing about Borges celebrations. There was a new translation of the Collected Fiction last year (I reviewed it, with some reservations), and currently a new volume of his complete poetry. He is certainly the most influential Latin American writer of the century.

arlington, va: Is there a good web-site or other source to find out what your favorite authors are up to? Seems like some young, promising authors -- David Payne -Ruin Creek-, Pinckney Benedict -Dogs of God- and James David Duncan -Brothers K- -- have dropped off the face of the earth. Or are all working on screenplays...

Michael Dirda: Certainly the Internet can lead you to organized fan groups and web-sites on at least some of these authors. I suspect that their readers and admirers keep up with their activities and publish their findings online. Terry Pratchett, for instance, has his every move covered on line. I suspect, though, that they are in fact all working on screenplays.

Crystal City, Va: Got any idea what Gene Wolfe is up to these days?

Michael Dirda: Not a clue. I saw him at a convention last year and he talked about various projects, so he's still writing. For those who don't know Wolfe, his four-part novel The Book of the New Sun is the great masterwork of science fantasy in our time--imagine I, Claudius set in the future and written with the same mournufl music as T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets. IMprobable? Try it.

Denver, CO: Where do you think Paul Horgan will wind up among American novelists?

Michael Dirda: I've correspondend a bit with Horgan--he and I are both fans of The George Lyttelton/Rupert Hart-Davis Letters--great gossip. I don't know his work well, but I suspect he will be rediscovered from time to time without ever being a major figure in the canon. Certainly his book on the Rio Grande will be a standard for some years yet. But his novels, I fear, have faded already. But one never knows.

Arlington, Virginia: Who are your favorite Irish writers?

Michael Dirda: James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Flann O'Brien. Joyce is the greatest, Beckett the one I love best, and O'Brien the funniest.

Fairfax, VA: When I think of my favorite Simpsons episodes, it comes down to a tie: there are many great ones, but the one where Mr. Burns runs for Governor, and the one in which Krusty is challenged by "Gabbo" in the ratings war for children's programming, are my two faves. Which episode is your all time favorite?

Michael Dirda: Hard to say. I might go for the one where Homer goes to college. I especially like the beginning when the Nuclear inspectors come to visit and Mr. Burns tries to bribe them, then drop them through his sliding pit in the floor, just before Homer emerges from the underground, where he's been watching a fly in a bottle, as a radioactive creature. But there are hundreds of great scenes. I also love the parody of Cape Fear, when Sideshow Bob goes after +The Thompsons+.

Washington, DC: What do you think of book stores demarking titles-shelves by race or gender? While it's nice to designate where one can read about racism or sexism, I often find other materials in this section -mysteries, romance, etc- that do not appear in the "general" section. I think these shelves can limit the possible appeal -and financial growth- of Black, Latino or Women writers.

Michael Dirda: I tend to favor anything that encourages people to read more widely rather than more narrowly. Hwence my dislike for categories and best seller lists and prizes.

Lyon, France: I love to read, live in Europe and so have access to UK newspapers and book reviews. Recently, I've noted several articles and reviews praising the novels of Arnold Bennett -including views from John Carey and Margaret Drabble. In another article (I can't remember the author) there was an expression of regret that Bennett was not being taught in English Lit. classes. All this has inspired me to order a copy of "The Old Wives' Tale" to see what all the fuss is about. What do you think? Are we about to see a Bennett renaissance? And should we? I'd answer for myself but my copy of Bennett's novel hasn't arrived yet.

Michael Dirda: Margaret Drabble's biography of Bennett is excellent, and Russell Hoban--a writer I admire--loves Buried Alive. Bennett is one of those writers who people who care about books will always read. Like Gissing and Maugham and dozens of others. But Bennett is always being rediscovered--Academy CHicago, a small press, brought out several of his booiks in paperback a few years back. I hope they made some money.

Washington, DC: Not a topical question, more of a process question:
Why don't you -or some behind-the-scenes computer person- set up an archive of frequently asked questions -faq- on this chat? I'm sure you tired of answering the same questions every week -as tired as I am of reading them- such as: What do you think of book awards? Who is your favorite children's author? Do you collect first editions? and variations on these.
Then you wouldn't have to waste time each week answering them, and could delve into more interesting topics.
Thanks&-33
PS: I was highly impressed with the comparison you drew last week between Hemingway and Bread and Jam for Frances -- two of my favorites&-33

Michael Dirda: A good point. ACtually I can see all the qeustions and can skip those about which I have no opinion or those that ask FAQs. But since this feature is relatively young, I thought I'd just answer people in order. IN the future I'll pick and choose a bit more, looking for questions that encourage longer and more interesting replies.

Rockville, MD: I’ve often thought lately how so many novels by promising new authors seem to be completely lacking in depth or breadth. It isn’t that they aren’t well-written, more often than not they are, but while the sentences are well-crafted and involved, the story itself is a stagnant pool. In short, it seems they write beautifully about nothing at all. Perhaps I am wrong, but it just appears that books are getting more and more minimal—instead of encompassing life they chip away pieces of it. What do you think?

Michael Dirda: The usual explanation for this is that young people focus on writing and writing programs at an early age--and as a result know how to craft reasonable sentences but have nothing to write about but themselves, usually their childhood (unhappy) or their love affairs (also unahppay). Certainly the world's greatest novelist were people who had done things, seen the world, experienced life, before they sat down to write, often in middle age. I wish books were still as central to our culture as they once were, but the world is changing and computers, screenplays and other forms of storytelling are offering sexier alterantives to traditional fiction.

Arlington, Va: Do you like any Irish writers who are alive today?

Michael Dirda: Roddy Doyle, John Banville, Seamus Heaney.

Washington, DC: I don't know how much of a Civil War buff you are, but I was wondering if you had read The Approaching Fury : Voices of the Storm by Stephen Oates. The way he used the voices of each historical figure to tell their own story was fascinating to me and I was wondering if there are any other historical works out there that do the same thing as successfully.

Michael Dirda: Lots of novels use multiple voices, but I can't think of any that quite works the way you describe. Alas, I'm not much of a Civil War buff--too much to know. But I am very fond of Thurber's classic "If Grant had been drinking at Appomatox".

Crystal City, Va : So how did you like Futurama? As good as The Simpsons? I have a little trouble aceepting the idea of an alcoholic robot.

Michael Dirda: Didn't see Futurama. Don't know if I have time for two television shows. An overcrowded life and schedule can only support a few vices. You are talking to the only person in America who never watched Seinfeld or Cheers, and has never seen Oprah. My loss, I'm sure.

Washington DC: I'm new to DC, I love to read, but I am totally broke. Libraries have been my salvation in the past and I was wondering about the local libraries in the District How good are the holdings at the public libraries in the area? Classics? Contemporary? New Fiction?

Michael Dirda: DC has good libraries. You might also check out the Wheaton Library Book Sale Room--ex-library books for a quarter or fifty cents. There's also a division in Wheaton shopping center. And don't forget the other thrift stores too--I purchase a lot of my early books at Salavation ARmy shops.

New Market VA: Mr. Dirda:

I organize a book discussion book of -mostly- middle school teachers. We would like to end the year with a "fun" book, one that is not about murderers, Nazi prison guards, or the end of the world -our first three books-. I'm suggesting "Charming Billy" "The Divine Secrets of Ya-Ya Sisterhood" and "Jewel."

Do you have any suggestions? Thank you, Tracy Phillips

Michael Dirda: Fun books? Does it have to be a new book? I'd certainly recommend the folloiwng: P.G. Wodehouse, Leave it to Psmith or The Mating Season or The Code of the Woosters or Uncle Fred in the Springtime; EVelyn Waugh, Decline and Fall; DAvid Lodge, Small World; Randall Jarrell, Pictures from an Institution; Ronald Firbank, any of his novels; Terry Pratchett, any of the Discworld books; Tom Holt, Expecting Someone Taller; George Macondald Fraser, The Pyrates; Stella Gibbons, Cold Comfort Farm, DAwn Powell, The Locusts Have No King. Enjoy. And talk to you next week: Same Bat time, same Bat station.