Dirda on Books – Transcript Michael Dirda Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, July 14, 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."

Alexandria, VA: I've never had the chance to read much poetry beyond the anthology selections taught in high school. Do you have a particular book of poetry -or anthology- that you would suggest I cut my teeth on?

Michael Dirda: I discovered poetry through Oscar Williams' anthology, Immortal Poems of the English Language. My favorite anthology is probably the five volume Poets of the English Language, edited by W.H. Auden and Norman Holmes Pearson. It's out of print, but odd volumes show up in second hand bookshops. The Auden introductions and timelines are marvelous and inspiring. If you have read some poetry, I'd recommend finding the collected work of somebody you liked--Emily Dickinson or T.S. Eliot or Keats--and reading a lot by that poet. That poet may then lead you to another.

Alexandria, Virginia: What's the difference between "he had been born" and "he was born", as I often find these two versions in fictional works and sometimes in journalistic writing? Thank you. Incidentally, I am a fan of your Sunday column in The Washington Post.

Michael Dirda: Huh, I don't think I've noticed the first usage. He was born seems to work every time.

Concord, NH: I don't think spell checkers are the answer to non-existent editors. They do not recognize homophones and if I see sentences like "It was a very grizzly murder" or "He had killed a grisly bear" again, I will go mad. It astounds me that authors don't know the differences between common words that sound alike. It is depressing.

Michael Dirda: I never use spell checkers. In fact, I disabled the one on our home computer so that my kids would learn to look closely at their words and sentences.

Arlington, Virginia: Any word on if-when there will be a second book from Donna Tartt -The Secret History-?

Michael Dirda: Haven't heard anything--I think Tartt may have done a short story a few years back, but I may even be imagining this.

Arlington, VA: I'd like to write a letter to a favorite author, but hesitate because I've never done anything like this before. Nothing involved, just a short note to say how much I've enjoyed her books over the years. In your experience, how do writers feel about fan mail? And on a practical note, where do I address the letter...to the author in care of the publisher?

Michael Dirda: I can't imagine a writer being anything but delighted to receive an intelligent note of appreciation. When I was in grad school I once sent a letter to Bergen Evans, an expert on English language and etymology, to tell him how much I'd enjoyed listening to his radio program "Words in the News." He wrote back a warm note of thanks, and was dead three months later. I'm always glad to have taken the trouble. William Empson was my hero among modern critics and a letter to him led to an invitation to spend the day at his home in Hampstead. Don't hesitate. Yes, you can send the note to the writer in question in care of his publisher or his agent. I suspect that you can probably find his or her address through internet if you're savvy about such things.

A;Alexandria, Va.: Hello. In one of your previous chats you mentioned a trilogy on Garibaldi. I tried to find it through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble online but it's out of print. Any idea where I might be able to locate a copy?

Thanks

Michael Dirda: It's by George Trevelyan. You should try the used book sites--there are several on line and I probably shouldn't mention their URLs--or call around to local second-hand bookstores. Plus, there's always the library.

Olney, Maryland : I always enjoy your reviews and your Readers Notebook has inspired me to squeeze more "literature" into my reading. Thank You. Regarding Sunday's review of "Gothic..." - I am not clear how the distinctions are made between Goth, Fantasy, Horror and Proto-Science Fiction especially with regards to work written in the late 19th century. I guess it's asking too much to try and separate them. Any thoughts? Have you ever heard of Robert Chambers? His book "the King in Yellow" is one of my favorites.

Michael Dirda: One of my complaints about Davenport-Hines's book lies in his failure to distinguish the Gothic from Horror and early science fiction and decadent literature. I suspect that they all rather flow into each other, though one could make stabs at definition. I have a copy of The King in Yellow, though I've yet to read it. I bought my copy because H.P. Lovecraft recommended it--or at least one or two of the stories in it--in his classic essay Supernatural Horror in Literature. Is it as good as he claims?

Washington, DC, : Do you think, as I do that Thomas Wolfe is a greater writer than Ernest Hemingway; and do you think, as I do, that David Kelley, creator of "Picket Fences," in addition to the lesser programs of "Ally McBeal" and "The Practice," is the greatest American writer since Wolfe?

Michael Dirda: No to the first part of your comment. I'm a big Hemingway fan, in spite of his excesses. Of the tv programs you mention, I've seen only one or two episodes of Ally McBeal--it was funny, in a television sort of way. I know you're kidding, but the cult of the Great Writer is a pernicious one. People should discover the writers who speak to them and not worry about where they stand on the ladder of renown.

Washington DC: I'm struck that the only French authors I've read are Hugo and Camus. Some of the great names in literature--I'm thinking of Proust, Flaubert, and Stendhal in particular--are French, but I'm wary of tackling them. Do you feel that they lose a lot in translation? Are these authors that I'm ready to pick up having read American and English authors extensively?

Michael Dirda: Obviously, one loses a certain amount by reading an author in translation. But nobody can know all languages. Personally, I know my life would be immensely poorer had I never read The Tale of Genji, Notes from Underground, The Leopard, Borges's short stories, and the poems of CP Cavafy. Why deny oneself any pleasure, just because it's not as perfect as it might be? So read Proust, Flabuert and Stendhal--start with the last's The Red and the Black.

McLean, VA: Mr. Dirda,

I've tried "Absalom, Absalom," and "Sound & Fury," but have never been able to read an entire Faulkner novel. Can you recommend one in particular that can serve as a good introduction to his style and themes?

Michael Dirda: The classic introduction is Malcolm Cowley's VIking Portable Faulkner--a good essay by MC, followed by major stories and episodes from the novels.

Brooklyn NY: Michael --

I love espionage fiction and police procedurals. I far prefer fully realized characters than plot. My favorites? Len Deighton's Bernard Sampson; Nicholas Freeling's Castang; H.K. Keating's Indian policeman -name escapes me], and the grandmaster, LeCarre's Smiley. I know you like McGarry; his hero is a little too perfect for my taste. Any other suggestions?

Jim Israel

Michael Dirda: Keating's is Inspector Ghote. You should read the first classic police procedural: Hilary Waugh's Last Seen Wearing..., then go on to Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series. As for espionage fiction, you might go back to the classics: Eric Ambler, especially the novels of the 1930s, such as Journey into Fear; John Buchan's old-fashioned The Thirty-Nine Steps and Greenmantle; Kipling's classic of the Great GAme (and much else), Kim; and Graham Greene's various entertainments, such as THis Gun for Hire.

Alexandria, VA: Do you know of a children's book called "The Trouble with Jenny's Ear" I may be mistaken about the name Jenny. It may be another name, but it's a story of a little girl who hears too clearly, I believe. I read it about 40 years ago and would like to know if title is correct and author's name. Thank you.

Michael Dirda: Rings no bells for me, I'm sorry to say. Have you tried the children's librarian at your local branch?

Vienna, Virginia: Regarding author fan mail, I have sent fan e-mail to a number of writers and they have always replied and seemed pleased to hear from me. Usually they tell me a little about the next book and when it's coming out. I make a point of putting "Fan Mail" in the subject header! The site
www.themysteryreader.com has a
good collection of mystery writers' e-mail addresses.

Michael Dirda: I'm not surprised that they're pleased: All writers love praise.

Washington, D.C.: I am going to Atlanta soon for the first time and thought that I ought to take an engrossing classic novel about the South with me.

Can you offer some suggestions off the top of your head? I recall you praising "All the King's Men" recently. Would it qualify?

Michael Dirda: All the King's Men is certainly one of the dozen great American novels of the century. It's set, mainly, in Louisiana, though. For Georgia, you might try the gothicky short stories of Flannery O'Connor, who lived in Milledgeville. Her letters are also a hoot--funny, touching, spiritual, wry.

Fairfax,VA: Did you read Hannibal? What did you think of it?

Michael Dirda: Nope, I looked into Red DRAGON and Silence and could see how they'd be compelling reading, but generally I like my horrors less visceral. Give me a cozy ghost story set in Edwardian England instead. I guess I'm just chicken.

Arlington, Va: Dear Michael,

I am perhaps the world's biggest fan of Henry Roth's 1934 novel, Call It Sleep. It's astounding how underappreciated it remains and how many blank stares I'm met with upon mentioning the book. Why has it not received the attention it deserves? I believe it is one of the greatest books of the 30's, and of the 20th century. Have you heard of any attempts at a Roth biography?

Thank-you

PS- Don't be ashamed about coveting Edward Gorey coffee mugs. My "Mystery Mug" remains a prized possession even after an unfortunate encounter with the dishwasher.

Michael Dirda: Haven't heard about any biography, though doubtless one is in the works. My buddy David STreitfeld visited Roth a couple of times when the Mercy of a Rude STream series was just starting and it's clear that the man's life was complex and interesting.

Omaha, NE: Where are your favorite used bookstores?

Michael Dirda: My favorites are here in Washington, only because I get to visit them regularly. In New York I always check out the Strand. On trips I look in the Yellow Pages under Books Used and Rare as soon as I reach my hotel room. Once, after a talk in a small Virginia town, I visited the local used bookstore and found a copy of Richard Garnett's The Twilight of the God's inscribed by Garnett to his close friend the painter Ford Madox Brown--ane extraordinary association copy, for $5. The rule of the collector is Anything Can BE Anywhere.

Omaha, NE: I am being a bit lazy in not looking through past chats, but are you aware of a publishing schedule for the -excerpts? edited edition?- of Nabokov's The Original of Laura?

Michael Dirda: I suspect we'll eventually see some version of Original of Laura, but haven't heard anything myself. Let me know if you find out about a proposed publication. I'm a big Nabokov fan.

Omaha, NE: What do you think of Allan Bloom's critique of higher education and the plight of American students and institutions?

Michael Dirda: In my view, education should be as classical and traditional as possible. I wish I knew Greek. I'm all for expanding the canon and rediscovering neglected writers--I do it in my columns all the time--but for a basic education a student needs to know the great patterning works of world culture. If you've never read the Bible or Shakespeare, don't know the classic myths or folktales, haven't a clue about The Odyssey, Augustine's Confessions or Dante's Commedia, just think how much later literature and art will be incomprehensible to you.

Gaithersburg, MD: Are you a fan of autobiographical journals at all? I have read and reread Anne Morrow Lindbergh's journals and they never cease to enlighten and enrich me.

Michael Dirda: I have mixed feelings about journals. On the one hand, there are several that I love--those of Thoreau, Jules Renard and the Goncourts come to mind. But I must say that I tire of all fads, and the publication of autobiographical material has now become a tiresome business. I say this even though I write very autobiographical essays myself, and have in fact done a 250 page memoir. But if you love a writer, then you should go back and reread him or her. Oscar Wilde once said that if a book isn't worth reading again and again, it should be read at all.

Washington, DC: The Trouble with Jenny's ear is by Oliver Butterworth and published about 1960.

Michael Dirda: Earlier questioner: There's your answer. The wonders of the internet.

Washington, DC: Hi Michael. I try not to miss your weekly chat! I'm wondering if you know of any gossip regarding other authors no longer with us who might have manuscripts or books that are about to be "discovered" and published. I know that these are kind of goofy, but when you really like a writer, it doesn't stop you from getting their "new" book. Any thing juicy?

Michael Dirda: In a few weeks we'll see a big book by Marguerite Young about Eugene Debs--she's the author of the cult classic, Miss Mackintosh, My Darling. Some day, as the questions suggest, we'll probably see Nabkov's unfinished last novel, The Original of Laura. But we've had Hemingway and Ellison this season, and that's probably enough for the moment.

Herndon, VA: Michael,
I'm interesting in reading A.S. Byatt's new "Elementals...". Would this be a good introduction to her work, or should I begin with another? I'd like to get to "Possession" or "Angels and Insects" at some point.

Michael Dirda: If you're interested in reading Elementals, do. Personally, I think Possession is her finest novel, but the short stories in Elementals and The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye may be more characteristic of her interest in fairy tale and folk tale (though you do get one of these in Possession--in verse form, no less). She's a profound and original writer, seldom given enough credit.

Kilkenny, Ireland: Are you aware of any plans to republish Avram Davidson's book of essays "Adventures in Unhistory", given the recent revival of interest in his work? I've been trying to find it for years in second hand book shops - and more recently via the Net. Have you read it yourself, and if so, did you enjoy it.

Michael Dirda: Yes, I wrote about the book when it first came out, and love its voice--learned, rambling, tricksy, wry. I believe it's still in print from Owlswick Press in Philadelphia--a very handsome book, too with cover art making AD look like a medieval alchemist. I revere Davidson, having written a long encomium/review of The AD Treasury last year. He possessed a wonderful imagination, a bit like John Collier and Saki.

Malta: Your thoughts on B. Traven and the "mystery" of his identity.

Michael Dirda: I thought it had been pretty well established that Traven was this GErman writer, whose name I've forgotten.

Landover Hills, MD: I hope to read a good number of Newberry Medal winners this summer. Any favorites of yours?
Also, do you think children's literature has received the attention it deserves?

Michael Dirda: No literature ever receives the attention it deserves. You can hardly go wrong with Newbery winners (try Phyllis REynolds Naylor's Shiloh, for instance), though I would hope you'd also try other children's books. My favorite kids fiction includes: Philippa Pearce's Tom's Midnight Garden, the novels of Joan Aiken, Philip Pullman and Alan Garner, the Five Children books of E. Nesbit, the Half Magic series by Edward Eager, most of DAniel Pinkwater (esp Alan Mendelsohn, the boy from Mars) and many others. For more than a dozen years I wrote once a month about children's books, though my main interest has always been the picture book.

Fairfax, Virginia: Note to the lady or gentleman from McLean who commented on the difficulty of Faulkner's novels: I read "The Unvanquished" recently because a Faulkner scholar recommended it as a good starting point. He commented that far too many people jump right in with "The Sound and the Fury," which is like learning to swim in the deep end of the ocean.

Having jumped in that end of the ocean myself, I agree with that scholar's statement. And he was right about "The Unvanquished" too. I found it penetrable and enjoyable.

Michael Dirda: The Unvanquished was my first Faulkner too, followed by +The Bear.+

Washington DC: I'm occassionally bothered to come across references to Tender is the Night as one of F. Scott Fitzgerald's finest works. I was about half way through the book when I realized that I thought it terrible. What's your opinion of this novel. Is it overrated or did I miss something?

Michael Dirda: I love it, and think it better, in some ways, than The Great Gatsby. Can't imagine why you thought it terrible. But tastes differ.

Herndon, VA: Michael,
re: Alex Gardner's -sp?- "The Tesseract"
I haven't read "The Beach", so I don't know Gardner's style, but I do enjoy books-movies that weave several storylines together. Is "Tesseract" a good example of this, or is it a glorified beach book?

Michael Dirda: No, Alan Garner--The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, Red Shift, The Owl Service are his main books.

Vienna, VA: I wouldn't call winning the Booker Prize "seldom given enough credit" for A.S. Byatt!
Hate to say it but I hated
POSSESSION. I felt that the book was a romance that couldn't quite bring itself to have a happy ending, kind of like those pretentious Kurt Weill operas that really wanted to be OKLAHOMA but weren't.

Michael Dirda: I think she's a better and deeper writer than Possession alone indicates. It had a happy ending for the modern couple. I like The Threepenny Opera and Oklahoma.

Fairfax, VA: Michael -
do you have any "guilty pleasures" books? The ones you get irresistible urges to reread -in whole or in parts- even though you've read them a dozen times through? I know I do -The Mote in God's Eye, Richard Feynman's autobiographies, Pillars of the Earth-...

Michael Dirda: There are writers whose works I often return to: Cyril Connolly, Robertson Davies, Randall Jarrell, Evelyn Waugh, Stendhal, Montaigne, M.F.K. Fisher, Flann O'Brien, Joseph Mitchell, Jack Vance, Avram Davidson, Samuel Johnson, Gibbon, Thoreau, Emerson, Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, et al. Mostly, I love their voices.
Well, that's all the time for this week. Sorry if i didn't get to your question. Till next Wednesday at 2, keep Reading!