Dirda on Books – Transcript Michael Dirda Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, June 9, 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. Although he holds 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. "Do not imagine that I regard my taste for literary artifacts as anything but shameless and vulgar," Dirda says, "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 Dirda on Books. We're back at the usual time, at the usual stall. Same format as in the past. You ask questions about books, Book World, publishing, my own work, and I answer as well as I'm able and as fast as I can type. So forgive typos. On with the show.

Washington DC: Have you ever developed an unconditional love for an author? If so which one-s-?

Michael Dirda: All real love is unconditional, whether for people or for authors. Their very vices become virtues, once you fall for them. The writers I deeply love, in an almost personal way, include Stendhal, Jane Austen, Murasaki Shikubu (author of the Tale of Genji), Montaigne, Randall Jarrell, Cyril Connolly, W.H. Auden, and othrs I'm no doubt overlooking.

College Park, MD: Regarding Mayle's new book, do you believe authors whould revisit earlier glories? A Year in Provence does not call out for a sequal, nor does it need one. But lo, we get it. What next, a sequal to The Old Man and The Sea, written from Papa's notes?

Michael Dirda: Well, odd you should mention Papa--in a couple of weeks Book World will address just this subject in a review of the posthumous Hemingway book, True at First Light. In general, I agree that sequels are almost always weaker books than the original. Perhaps only Don Quixote's second part is better than its first. On the other hand, if you like a writer--unconditionally or not--and you want to hear that voice again, you're going to be happy with anything you can get. So, Mayle, so Thomas Berger's sequel to Little Big Man.

Washington, D.C.: In your opinion, what U.S. colleges-universities have the best writing programs? And, bearing in mind that many good writers had no formal training, do you think such programs can turn out good writers?

Michael Dirda: The most famous writing program is the one at Iowa, though I think it's only a graudate course. Personally, I am leery of writing MFAs, and feel that the genuinely talented need to find their own way. I also think that writers need to read a lot of earlier material, just to have a sense of the territory. Too many modern writing students simply read their teachers or their contemporaries. If you want to be a writer, I'd just go write. If you want to be educated, I'd study a classic subject like history or English.

Asheboro, N. C.: Several weeks ago, you mentioned that Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian seemed like a masterpiece, interpreting the American experience in the way great novels should. I take issue with that. I found it uncalled for gorey. Its only redeeming grace being that it should be read as a precedent for The Border Trilogy.

Michael Dirda: It's extremely gorey--it's like a Spaghetti western version of the Book of Judges. But the language is magnificent; the characters original; and the actual story taken from history. Such books possess the kind of power we associate with Melville and Faulkner. The Border Trilogy goes downhill as it progresses: Pretty Horses is superb, the first half of The Crossing wonderful, the second windy and bombastic; Cities of the Plain has some great set pieces but a lot of melodrama and pseudo-philosophizing. But McCarthy at his worst is still better than most writers at their best.

Washington: If Provence is so great, then why does everyone hate the French?

Michael Dirda: Because the French are smarter and handsomer than everyone else and they let you know it. In truth, only obnocious AMerican tourists hate the French. The French are as various as any other people.

Arlington, VA: I was wondering what you think of the work of John Barth. He seems to be the kind of lush prose stylist you seem to like.

I think Chimera is magnificient, but I was less impressed with Giles Goatboy. Do you think he is underappreciated?

Michael Dirda: I liked Chimera and Giles Goat-Boy, though the latter is more than a little overwrought and too clever by half. Barth's star has faded in the past 20 years, though he continues to produce first-rate work. I'm not sure why he isn't as widely appreciated by the post-modernist young.

washington, dc: In the same way that it is said that one is either a Platonist or an Aristotelian, are you a Tolstoyan or a Dostoyevskyan. They seem to me, at any rate, two different -but complementary ?- ways of seeing the world. Your thoughts?

Michael Dirda: Hmmmm. I admire both writers, but if I had to choose according to my character it would be Dostoevsky. "Too much consciousness is a disease, a positive disease." I find Dostoevesky the most intense of the world's great writers--Crime and PUnishment is like a feverish nightmare and I can hardly put the book down each time I reread it. I love his extremes, his interest in ideas, his self-pity, his rage. Interesting, Tolstoy seems to have grown more Dostoeveskyan in real life as he got older.

Fairfax, VA: Michael,

I love your columns in the Book World, and I enjoy this chat, but lately I have begun to despair. You continually write delightful essays that make me ache to read the books you describe. You also encourage your readers to sample a wide variety of genres, try non-English-speaking writers, and read or reread the classics of American and British literature. But last week in the online chat you said, "I've always believed it better to know one or two writers, or books, well, than to know a lot of them superficially." Not having a job that pays me to read, I despair that I don't have time to read both widely and deeply. Do you alternate between reading, say, nothing but Faulkner and reading many different writers and genres? Which kind of reading do you prefer?

Michael Dirda: Well, a book reviewer is by necessity going to be wide-ranging and dilettantish, rather than profound. I think it best to read widely and at whim, but when you find the writer you want to marry (metaphorically) you should read him or her in depth. I think the best combination would be to know everything about, say, Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Connor, but to have read bits and pieces of all the world's literature. In my case, I've had a lot of enthusiasms over the years and read, at one time or another, pretty deeply in Stendhal and medieval literature. Though I write about modern literature, I've only taken one course in any literature after 1840--a class on Yeats and Stevens as an undergrad. Most of my schooling has been in earlier literature and intellectual history.

Washington: What are some books similar to A Year In Provence - ones that look at life in America - that HAVEN'T been written by Englishmen?

Michael Dirda: Good question: THis is a kind of book in which the British specialize. Going back in time, there's Mark Twain's Life on the Misssissippi and The Innocents Abroad; Hemingway's books on Africa and the bullfight; Steinbeck's Travels with Charley; John McPhee's books might qualify here; perhaps Henry James's The AMerican SCene. There must be many others.

Cleveland, Ohio: How do the editors of Book World go about deciding which books to review and who reviews them -particularly when it comes to new authors-? Do you or others have researchers or interns to assist on particular reviews or to screen certain works to see if they are worthy? Do the editors look for controversy, such as having Mr. Yardley, whose work I greatly admire, review books by well-respected authors of whose work he is not necessarily always fond. -Examples that come to mind would be certain highly-praised novels by Salmon Rushdie and Philip Roth that he has criticized.- Finally, what happens when the reviewer pans a work that some of the editors greatly admire? Have the editors ever considered a counter-review in that circumstance?

Michael Dirda: Lots of questions here, so this may take some time.
1) Publishers send us galleys and copies of all the books published. We look at these and decide which seem of most interest to the general Washington reader. We also pick up info about new books from PUblishers Weekly, catalogues and publicity reps who pass through town. A good many of the books we review are self-selcting--i.e. if Updike has a new novel, we review it. Discrimination comes into play with more oddball works, or first novels, or genre literature.
2) No, we have no researchers. Editors here do it all. We use our judgment about what is worthy of review. Sometimes we guess wrong.
3) No, we generally do not aim for contoversy; we look for a fair, informed and entertaining review. Jon usually expects to like a book, but he has no qualms about expressing his views when a book falls short.
4) Reviewers do pan books the editors admire. JOn Yardley and I both review regualryl , but our opinions often differ dramatically. But when I'm his editor, I put aside my own views, unless I think he's made a factual mistake, in which case I'll run the point by him. We don't try to second guess our reviewers.

5) People always ask this, and we always say no. It would eat up an unwarranted amount of space, and who knows? maybe the second reviewer would like or hate the book as much as the first.

Philadelphia, PA: Having just returned from a week in Paris -we went last year, too- I can say that if you don't act like an obnoxious tourist, the French won't treat you like one. Wear decent clothes -not shorts and flip-flops-, eat at French bistros, brasseries and restaurants -not at the myriad McDonalds, Pizza Huts and other junk food places-, and treat people with respect and you will find that the French are as open and friendly as any people on earth.

Can you recommend any authors-books who have best captured the French way of life?

Michael Dirda: Yes, indeed: Try Janet Flanner's Paris Journals; Mavis Gallant's stories; M.F.K. Fisher's books, especially Map of Another Town and A Considerable Town; Ford Madox Ford's Provence; A.J. Liebling's essays on France and cooking; Waverly Roots The Food of France; and any number of appealing French writers, e.g. Colette.

Washington, DC: Re:books on America...way back when as an exchange student I was assigned a book called 'USA y yo' by, I think, Miguel de Unamuno. I have no idea if it's ever been translated. But it was a fun look at us from a Spaniard.
By the way, I'm always so impressed with your recall of details and quotations. Do you work at it, or does it stick in your brain naturally?

Michael Dirda: Unamuno was translated in bulk as part of the Bollingen Foundation's program (they also did Jung and Coleridge), but I don't know if this book was included. He is, of course, best known for that wonderfully titled book, The Tragic Sense of Life.
The quotes and facts are just there naturally--sometimes I misremember though, or find that a title I should know jno longer comes trippingly to the tongue. Signs of age, no doubt.

Silver Spring, MD: Yes, I love Eloise but was disappointed that it was the only children's book in last week-end's issue. I thought the 1st issue of each month was supposed to include children's books. Am I wrong? Will children's books be covered regularly?

Michael Dirda: I used to be the children'b ook editor until this past January, and wrote each month about kids books. But I have since passed the torch. Soon a regular kids column will start up again. In the meantime, I'm planning to write about the new Harry Potter book, just for old-time's sake.

Asheboro, N. C.: I've been a fan of Thomas Williams ever since The Hair of Harold Roux. Since his death, I have not been able to come up with anyone who writes comparatively with him. Any suggestions?

Michael Dirda: I've always meant to read Williams and never have. A friend of mine--a highly placed editor at the New Yorker--just loves Harold Roux, so I suppose that's the book I should read. Oh, yes, and Stephen King admires WIlliams too--I got King to review The Moon Pinnace for Book World. What is it about Williams that you find so appealing?

washington dc: Do you think there is such a thing as a "French spirit" in literature, and if so, who best represents it: Stendhal, Flaubert, Hugo, Balzac, Gide, or some other writer? Which French writer goes against the grain?

Michael Dirda: Well, the French are supposed to dry, urbane, witty, world-wise, cartesian, classical, etc. That seems to me the French spirit. On the other hand, Celine is vulgar, colloquial, popular, etc, so he might be a good example of the counter-tradition. But it's clearly hard for a French writer to escape the educational standards imposed by the lycee system. Then again, it must be wonderful to be so suave and urbane. A way I'll never be.

OMAHA, NE: What is the process to getting a book published? Do you send an illustrated manuscript or only the writing?

Michael Dirda: Your best bet is to find an agent. If you don't have an agent, you should look for a writer's group that can give you advice. Fewer and fewer publishers read books over the transom, illustrated or not. Good luck.

Washington, DC: Just finished reading "Kindred" by Octavia Butler. Can you recommend other stories that mix science fiction with issues of slavery and Black history?

Michael Dirda: You might try Mike Resnick's Kirinyaga--an award winning collection of stories, gathered together in book form as a novel, about Africa and the future. Did you realize that the hero of Arthur C. Clarke's CHildhood's End is black? There's a great story on slavery by Avram Davidson called The Necessity of HIs Condition--told from the viewpoint of a slave seller. You might also look at the essays of Samuel R. Delany, which address issues of race and sexual orientation (Delany, who is gay, can be graphic at times).

Washington, DC: Unamuno reader again...
'The Tragic Sense of Life'? Do you happen to know if this was called 'Niebla' in Spanish -in which the Author appears in the novel and has a conversation with the protagonist about his lack of free will...- Just curious, and thanks.

Michael Dirda: No, I think its something like La Vida tragico etc. I don't know spanish, however. Only enough to say, "cerveza, por favor." and "te quiero mucho,' which seemed to suffice when I was 17 and in Mexico.

Washington, DC: I recently began reading "Great Expectations" for the first time in 15 years or so, and was a little taken aback by the treatment poor Pip receives at the hands of his sister. Dickens treats these scenes with humor, but these days I would think it would be considered close to child abuse. I know Dickens is famous for his concerns about social justice and the plight of the poor. Was he also concerned about domestic violence, or would he consider this type of thing comic relief? Or am I overly sensitive about the whole matter?

Michael Dirda: I don't think Dicken's would consider domestic violence a source of comic relief. Pip is being abused. You might look for a book called Dickens and Crime, by Collins (Philip?), which examines some of these matters. Also, Ackroyd's mammoth biography will probably address these, someplace.

washington dc: You must get tired answering all these questions every week. Ever thought of having "guest" hosts on the on-line chat, either "solo" or in tandem with you?

Michael Dirda: No, I quite enjoy answering questions for an hour a week. If it was more, it might grow tiresome. And then, if it did, I might alter the format somewhat. I suspect that as Washingtonpost. com grows, you will see more columnists, including those who talk about books, coming on line. Don't really understand how one could do a chat in tandem.

Fairfax: Thanks for keeping literary hope alive in these chats.

Is William Manchester ever going to finish the third volume of Winston Churchill's biography? He has to be getting on in years now, and if it doesn't happen soon, it probably never will. This would be a shame, as the first two volumes are among the best biographies ever written. And, have you ever read his biography of H.L. Mencken -- "Disturber of the Peace"?

Michael Dirda: There's actually another questioner from Colorado with this same inquiry. Alas, I don't know the status of the third volume. I had thought that Martin Gilbert's multi-volume Churchill would be more than enough for most people. I've read around in Disturber of the Peace with pleasure, but never all the way through it. I remember the novelist George V. Higgins' recommending it highly, however. And I do rever Mencken. I don't say this often, because my colleague and occasional rival Jon Yardley is a Mencken expert and I like to stay out of his territroy.

Asheboro, N. C.: Re: Thomas Williams. He was one of the first "new" authors I'd read. He has a wonderful was of coupling sentences into paragraphs. In The Followed Man, he had one paragraph which ran for almost an entire page. He's very illuminating.

Michael Dirda: WEll, as I say, I really must read Harold Roux. THis, for readers who may have forgotten was teh novel that shared the national book award with Gravity's Rainbow. Which suggests teh book's merit.

Orange, VA: What do you think is the best novel of World War II?

Michael Dirda: Which theater? I'm a great admirer of two books by writers usually deemed nonliterary: Michener's Tales of the South Pacific, and James Clavell's magnificent novel about prisoners of war, King Rat. J.G. Ballard's Empire of the Sun is also a wonderful book. Many of my friends, including the very wise Noel Perrin, tell me that James Gould Cozzens's Guard of Honor is the book for WWII, but I haven't read it. I suppose I'd pick Catch-22 or something obvious like that. But in truth I'm not a real fan of war novels. WHat do you recommend?

Washington, DC: Man, you are zipping through this one today. What's the deal? Also what did you think of "Havana Bay?"

Michael Dirda: Oh, just typing fast I suppose. Haven't read Havana Bay, the new thriller from martin cruz smith (gorky park, etc), but it sounds great.

Springfield, Illinois: Michael, thank you for your previous suggestions on Japanese writers. Another couple questions: 1-do you know other writers who compare favourably to de Bernieres, all of whose books I've now read, in terms of off-beat humor and magical sensitivity; and 2-is there a source for finding out if writers have died? I've always enjoy Clavell and don't know if he is still writing. Thanks, from the heartland.

Michael Dirda: Do you know Angela Carter? Try Nights at the Circus and Wise Children, her last two novels. Dead authors--there probably is such a site, but I don't know what it is. I just check reference books, or since I work at a newspaper, consult the library here. Clavell is dead.

Cincinnati, OH: I'm about halfway through Memoir from Antproof Case -my first Helprin- and loving it. What do you think of his work?

Michael Dirda: I've only read a few shorter Helprin's--Swan Lake, some short stories. On this small sampling, I think he's a wonderful writer. I've always meant to read Winter's TAle, which sounds a lot like the work of John Crowley, which I admire a great deal. Alas, no matter how much you read, you can't read everything. Unless, of course, you're Harold Bloom.

Somewhere, USA: Is it "deer-dah" or "dur-dah"? "Kah-ren-in" or "Kah-ren-in-ah" -as in Anna-?

Michael Dirda: It's "dur dah"--though it used to be pronounced dour da--using the proper pronunction of dour. My grandfather was a cossack who fought for the czar, came over here after the revolution, got a job in a steel mill and died when my father was a boy. He spelled it Dyrda--don't know precisely when it became Dirda. It doesn't sound typically russian, but i've always thought it might be similar to the last name of that really famous cossack Taras Bulba.

Michael Dirda: Well, guys, that's all the time for this week. If I didn't get to your question, please try next time--Wednesay at 2, as usual. keep reading.