Dirda On Books Michael Dirda Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, April 28, 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 lighthearted essay about the joys and burdens of living in a house filled with way too many books. Though holding a PhD 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 secondhand 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."

Springfield, VA: When I retire, I would like to take up writing. What is a good way to break into the writing business, have your work represented, and to market your work? Thanks.

Michael Dirda: Thoreau once wrote about a guy who intended to be an artist and kept putting it off until he'd made some money, paid for his house, etc. Eventually, the guy died before he painted a picture. "He should have gone to the garret immediately." I think that you should write because you want to write, and worry about the rest later. Obviously, if you want to write science fiction, you should study the market and read the classics of the genre--just to know what's already been done. Agents usually look for people with established reputations, which makes it hard for the newcomer. Your best bet is to write well and hope for the best. You could also look into various writers groups, such as Washington Independent WRiters or The Writers Center.

Tuftonboro, NH: One of my favorite books is Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban. I think it is both a horrific tale and a wonderful puzzle -place names, etc-. I have three copies, two of which I lend to people, but no one seems to have the patience to read it. Have you read it? What do you think of it?

Michael Dirda: I reviewed Riddley Walker when it first appeared in this country, and have always thought it one of the dozen or so best novels of our time. (For those who don't know the book: it's a novel set in a post-holocaust England, when people have only distant memories of religion and science, so that their myths amalgamate Genesis and physics in the tale of the LIttl Shynin Man the Adom. In part, the novel traces the boy Riddley's discovery of his vocation--that he is a "connection man," able to explain things--and the rediscovery of gunpowder. It's incredibly brilliant in part because the language is so strange--like Huck Finn rewritten in some kind of punning Nuspeak.)In fact, I count Russell Hoban the only author I know of who has written masterpieces for every age group--Bread and Jam for Frances, How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen, The Mouse and His Child, and Riddley Walker. I'm also fond ot his other novels, including Kleinzeit and Turtle Diary. Hoban occasionally writes to me, even sends me books of his that only appear in England. There is something deeply engaging to me about his tone and style. As for Riddley Walker, the book looks harder to read than it is. The recent paperback from Indiana contains a brief lexicon of the portmanteau words.

Washington, D.C.: Have you read Infinite Jest?

Michael Dirda: No, I should have and meant to, but I sometimes find books with a heavy drug content a bit offputting. There's a story there but not for now. I do like such big books, though, having reviewed The Moor's Last Sigh, Mason & Dixon, Underworld, etc. One aim of the novelist is to make sense of his time and for this he needs room to move around.

Washington, DC: You are a self-described Nabokov fanatic. What is your opinion regarding Ada, and its place in Nabokov's oeurve?

Michael Dirda: It's not one of my favorite books, but the prose is so gorgeous that I can almost forgive its leisurely pace and self-indulgence. My Nabokov includes the big three--Lolita, Pale Fire and Speak Memory--along with The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Pnin, the Lectures on Literature and some of the stories.

College Park, Maryland: What do you think of Indian literature -from India-. Do you have any comments regarding any particular author? Thanks

Michael Dirda: Indian fiction is very hot. Rushdie is fast approaching Garcia Marquez as our greatest living novelist; Vikram Seth's latest novel, An Equal Music, is earning rave reviews (though I have some problems with it--see my review this Sunday). ARundhati Roy's Booker Prize winner The God of Small THings is awash in brilliant similes and a heartbreaking love story. And there are a half dozen others I have yet to read, in particular Rohinton Mistry. Of older Indian writers my favorite is G.V. Desani for his unique masterpiece, All ABout H. Hatterr, one of those books that is always being rediscovered.

washington: Speaking of Gorey, i don't think he'd be politically correct in these post-Littleton days. But who can resist "H is for Henry, who died of ennui."

Michael Dirda: In another era, Gorey would have worked for Punch, he possesses the imagination of a humorist at least as much as that of a gothicist. His albums--especially the earlier ones--are irresistible. When my spirits flag, I reread THe Untuned Harp--a brilliant depiction of the writer's life.

Arlington, VA: I'm going to be going to graduate school in the fall, and so while I still have time, I want to read as much as possible before then. I'm trying to compile a list for myself of books that I should read -- a combination of classics, influental books, and the like. Lolita and In Cold Blood are next on my list, I want to read more Shakespeare, etc. Any other suggestions?

Michael Dirda: Big question. In general, I suggest reading as many early classics as possible. Homer, Virgil, Horace, Dante--these are writers whose work is not only important in itself, but also because of its influence on subsequent authors (e.g. you need to know The Odyssey to follow certain aspects of Ulysses). Second, you should read a lot of mythology, folktales, fairy tales and material of this sort--these too are patterning works of the western imagination. Last, don't restrict yourself to the west. Look into Japanese or Indian poetry or fictionto gain a sense of how other civilizations approach literature.

Washington, DC: Have you read The Sparrow or Children of God? I really enjoyed The Sparrow and was wondering if you could recommend similar fiction with sci-fi-religion storylines....

Michael Dirda: Haven't read these, though am told they are both very good (The Sparrow won a fantasy award in England). You might try Madeleine L'engle's A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels, or Gene Wolfe's The Shadow of the Torturer and its sequels (collectively The Book of the New Sun). Both blend sf and religion. In the latter the torturer turns out to be a kind of savior for mankind. Beautifully written and very tricky book.

Washington, DC: I am in search of a good read with a middle eastern flavor, specifically something on Egypt. I'm looking for a book with a good plot, but also good descriptions of the country and maybe even a little history thrown in. Expat. literature is also a favorite. Any suggestions? Thanks

Michael Dirda: There's a series of mysteries set in turn of the century Egypt. They all are titled The Mamur Zapt and Something Else. The author is Michael. . . oh there goes another synapse. A librarian could give you the name. Or check books in print. You might also try Elizabeth Peter's novels about Amelia Peabody, starting with The Crocodile on the Sandbank. Archeological mysteries. My favorite writing about ancient Egypt is the long chapter on that country in Herodotus--filled with local color, magic, etc.

Falls Church, VA: Did you catch the Best of the Millenium artcile in the NY Times? I especially enjoyed A.S. Byatt's piece on Scheherazade and the Arabian Nights. Just for fun, what would be your choice for Best Story of the Millenium?

Michael Dirda: Haven't seen the issue yet. Did have lunch a couple weeks back with Byatt--we're e-mail pen pals--and she told me a bit about the article. She's one of my favorite writers and people: Awesomely smart. Best story of the millennium? Does that mean of the last 1000 years? And you mean short story? I suppose it would have to be The Pardoner's Tale in Chaucer--the one about the three men who meet Death.

washington, dc: In your list of this century's 100 greatest humorous books, you gave high marks to a book by Bashford, was it?, a sort of pseudo- memoir, if I remember right, published in the 20s or 30s. You ended your entry on this book with a call for it to be republished. Has any publisher stepped forward to do so? If so, who, when, etc?

Michael Dirda: Penguin reissued Augustus Carp a few years back and you can find paperbacks in second hand bookshops. I was just rereading a bit of it the other day; it is certainly one of the half dozen greatest comic novels of the century, very dark at heart and a brilliant control of voice. It's all about a religious hypocrite and his awful father.

Arlington, VA: I took two semesters of Japanese literature in college, and found it fascinating. But it was the professor's explanations of Japanese culture that really put the books into perspective, and allowed us to understand the people and the plots. So for the graduate student, if you're going to hit Japanese lit, you might want to read up on the culture first.

Michael Dirda: Well, yes, and we're lucky that Donald Keene has written so much--you can read his little one-volume introduction to Japanese literature or his massive four-volume history. He's clear, authoritiative and exciting. For Heian Japan--ther period of The Tale of Genji (one of my favorite books) and the Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon (ditto)--you can read the wonderful book by Ivan Morris, The World of the SHining Prince. But one should never hesitate to read a book just because the culture it comes out of seems alien. Primarey texts first, then criticiism, commentary and the like.

ENGLEWOOD,NJ: What do you think of Rainer Maria Rilke's poetry?

Michael Dirda: I am astonished by much of Sonnets to Orpheus and Duino Elegies, also by the Neue Gedichte. What is the great line at the end of the poem about the leopard? "Du musst deine Leben andern--You must change your life." The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge is a seminal text of modernism. All that said, Rilke was, in John Berryman's words, a shit--whiney, conceited and pretty much a stinker as a human being.

Washington, DC: I was hoping you could help me with something I've been wondering about since college, when my English Lit. major girlfriend tried to explain to me how in recent years novels have tended to focus less on plot and more on style or relationships or something. It seems to me she had a point, but I'm not sure why authors would turn away from plot. Any thoughts? or do I have no idea what I'm talking about?

Michael Dirda: Well, different writers value different things. A brilliant popular short story writer, such as Somerset Maugham, knew the value of plot:He followed E.M. Forster's dictum +"Oh yes, the novel tells a story." Other writers, like Proust, do tell a good story, but they take their time and are more interested in reflecting on life, ethics, art, what have you. The best writers manage to do both. P.G. Wodehouse, for instance, is a brilliant plotter and an even more brilliant stylist.

Washington, DC: What are your thoughts about the inundation of text we face at work and home with e-mail, World Wide Web sites, flyers -junk mail-, advertisements, most of it needing to be ceaselessly culled or it will drown us? I feel that these utilitarian demands on our eyes threaten our capacity to read for pleasure, escape, and enlightenment. Your thoughts?

Michael Dirda: I recently said in a Readings column that e-mail was an invention of the devil--another way to spend a lot of time one has too little of. If you feel oppressed by the snowfall of verbiage from electonic media, just ignore it. Don't use it. I spoke recently to Douglas Hofstadter--author of Godel Escher Bach and a professor of computer science--and he says he never uses the internet, hardly ever goes online, etc. Without saying so, he clearly felt it was a waste of his time.

washington, d.c.: Where's Hugh Kenner? Haven't seen anything by him for years, except for the little book on Chuck Jones from the Univ of California Press. Has HK said everything he has to say about literature? -Hope not.-

Michael Dirda: I reviewed th e Chuck Jones book and it was a tad disappointing. I occasionally see a piece by Kenner in the TLS, usually about some computer related material, so suspect he's working along those lines now (he already was, of course). Happily, he's written so much that one can simply go back and reread The Counterfeiters or The Pound Era--these are books of neverending richness.

washington dc: Have you considered changing your picture? You look alarmingly like Mike Royko.

Michael Dirda: Yes, I plan to get a new photo soon. I actually look like Harrison Ford. (I wish.)

Arlington, VA: I think that you misunderstood my graduate school question: I'm not going to school in anything having to do with English or writing, I just want to read lots of good stuff before I have a lot of other work to do that takes up my time.

Michael Dirda: WEll, those are still good books to read. If you want more specific guidance, look for a copy of Clifton Fadiman's engaging book, The LIfetime Reading Plan.

Washington, DC: Going to the Vassar sale? What was your best find at a book sale?

Michael Dirda: Don't know if I'll get to the sale or when. Probably. But my book lust has somewhat abated in recent months. Best find? Hard to say--maybe a mind in dj first AMerican of The Code of the Woosters, or possibly Asimov's first novel Pebble in the Sky. But I have such curious tastes that my treasures are often mysteries to my friends.

Washington, DC: Although you recently wrote it has been 12 years since you saw a movie -or been to a theater?- I will venture a question about movies---did you see the new version of Lolita?

Michael Dirda: No, but i'll probably rent it one of these days. I did listen to Jeremy Irons unabridged audiotape--and it was absolutely unputdownable. I actually looked forward to driving on the belt way so that i could hear a little more of the book. In my mind, though, the Kubrick Lolita is a masterpiece--especially Peter Sellers over-the-top Clare Quilty.

Falls Church, CA: Read your review on Nabokov. Perhaps you could explain why "Lolita" was written or even published in the first place. Afterall, its the story of a middle-aged pedaphile stalking and eventually catching a 12 year old girl -granted, he suffers for it-. Regardless of its artistry, many juriudictions in this country would consider it as pornography. Do you think the character of Humbert was essentially Nobokov himself?

Michael Dirda: Actually, yours is a question or series of questions I plan to explore this fall in a course I'll be teaching at the University of Central Florida. As you know, no one wanted to publish the novel--except for Maurice GIrodias whose Traveler's Library from Olympia Press specialized in pornography. The book is by no means in praise of Humbert Humbert--he is a monster. But one question is: Does he realize his monstrousness at the end, when he hears the children playing and realizes that he took Lolita away from her natural childhood? Or is that one more ploy on his part? I don't find th ebook pornographic at all--you really have to read carefully to find much sex in the book. But, in truth, I love the style and think the book is amazingly funny.

washington, dc: What's the name of the PG Wodehouse story--believe it's one of the late Jeeves pieces--in which there's the funny description of a man screwing up his face or some such because he's "about to speak French"? And what's the title of thevolume in which it appeared?

Michael Dirda: It's the first sentence of one of the later novels, a non-Jeeves one, though, and I can't remember the title now. Alas.

Arlington, VA: Desperately seeking a book to read on a coast-to-coast flight! I just finished "Snow Falling on Cedars" -a little slow- and I've given up on "Cold Mountain" -like molasses-. Any suggestions on some engaging fiction?

Michael Dirda: The world is filled with good books. Don't restrict yourself to current ones.If you liked one book by a writer, try one of his or her other titles. I myhself like to read poetry on airplane trips--Auden works well. You can read a few pages, snooze a bit, read a few more. The most exciting books I ever read on long trips were Alfred Bester's sf classic The Stars My Destination and the collection of Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op mysteries called The Big KNockover.

Silver Spring, MD: What's up with all the "Chicken Soup..." books. Have you read any? Maybe I missed your review. Why do you think they are so popular?

Michael Dirda: People have always wanted advice--Ann Landers has built a career out of that yearning. We all want to be happier, sexier, healthier than other people, who are usually not as happy, sexy or healthy as we think they are.

Well, fans, that's it for this week. Next week, if all goes well, I will be answering questions at this time from beautiful, sunny Orlando, Florida. Till then, keep reading!