Wendy MacÂNaughton, an artist and illusÂtraÂtor livÂing in San FranÂcisÂco, wonÂdered what snacks fueled some of our greatÂest writÂers. F. Scott FitzgerÂald turned to apples and canned meats, and KafÂka to milk, durÂing their daiÂly writÂing rouÂtines. How about Lord Byron, EmiÂly DickÂinÂson, MarÂcel Proust, John SteinÂbeck, TruÂman Capote or food writer Michael PolÂlan? MacÂNaughton tells you about their dietary habits in The New York Times Book Review. (And it just so hapÂpens you can find texts by many of these authors in our colÂlecÂtion of Free eBooks.)
MacÂNaughton’s illusÂtratÂed colÂumn, “MeanÂwhile,” appears regÂuÂlarÂly at The RumÂpus.
CynÂiÂcism. RuthÂlessÂness. DeviÂousÂness. PowÂer polÂiÂtics. These words are often assoÂciÂatÂed with NicÂcolò MachiÂavelÂli, the author of The Prince (1532). But, it turns out, he was anyÂthing but. He was a sweet man (though someÂthing of a phiÂlanÂderÂer), a proÂfound demoÂcÂrat, good lookÂing, a parÂty aniÂmal. In short, MachiÂavelÂli has gotÂten a bad rap, says novÂelÂist Salman Rushdie.
To get more insight into this badÂly misÂunÂderÂstood figÂure, we’d recÂomÂmend spendÂing time with PhiÂlosÂoÂphy Bites’ interÂview (MP3 or iTunes) with Quentin SkinÂner, one of EngÂland’s finest intelÂlecÂtuÂal hisÂtoÂriÂans who has writÂten extenÂsiveÂly on MachiÂavelÂli. You can also find The Prince listÂed in our colÂlecÂtion of Free eBooks. H/T Andrew SulÂliÂvan
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Hunter ThompÂson entered this terÂra incogÂniÂta [the world of the HelÂl’s Angels] to become its carÂtogÂraÂphÂer. For almost a year, he accomÂpaÂnied the HelÂl’s Angels on their ralÂlies. He drank at their bars, exchanged home visÂits, recordÂed their bruÂtalÂiÂties, viewed their sexÂuÂal caprices, became conÂvertÂed to their motorÂcyÂcle mysÂtique, and was so intrigued, as he puts it, that “I was no longer sure whether I was doing research on the HelÂl’s Angels or being slowÂly absorbed by them.” At the conÂcluÂsion of his year’s tenure the ambiÂguÂiÂty of his posiÂtion was endÂed when a group of Angels knocked him to the ground and stomped him…
Hunter ThompÂson has preÂsentÂed us with a close view of a world most of us would nevÂer dare encounter, yet one with which we should be familÂiar. He has brought on stage men who have lost all options and are not recÂonÂciled to the loss. They have great resources for vioÂlence which doesÂn’t as yet have any effecÂtive focus. ThompÂson sugÂgests that these few Angels are but the vanÂguard of a growÂing army of disÂapÂproÂpriÂatÂed, disÂafÂfilÂiÂatÂed and desÂperÂate men. There’s always the risk that someÂhow they may force the wrong options into being.
This clip, which aired on CanaÂdiÂan teleÂviÂsion in 1967, describes the cirÂcumÂstances that led up to the Angels givÂing HST a beat down. The misogÂyÂny that’s on disÂplay will make you shudÂder.
Kudos to How to be A RetroÂnaut for findÂing this great clip of Jack KerÂouac playÂing pool in earÂly 1967. We bet he was the coolest playÂer in that parÂticÂuÂlar room (at the PawÂtuckÂetville Social Club, in LowÂell, Mass). But we’d also bet that he copied that cool, taut perÂsona from Paul NewÂman’s turn as “Fast Eddie” FelÂson in the clasÂsic movie The HusÂtler filmed six years earÂliÂer.
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly.
The Paris Review blog, which just gets betÂter and betÂter each week, postÂed Andrew David WatÂson’s loveÂly video yesÂterÂday about Michael SeiÂdenÂberg, who moved his shop, BrazenÂhead Books, into his New York City apartÂment after his bookÂshop rent skyÂrockÂetÂed. “It’s a conÂtinÂuÂaÂtion of just me being a bookÂseller in the way that I want to be… If it’s all about monÂey, there’s just betÂter things to sell. Just sell crack. That’s a much betÂter busiÂness.” As for where he’s locatÂed, he says “My name is in the phoneÂbook, and anyÂone can call me… I’m hidÂing in plain sight. Come find me, visÂit me, and I’m yours.”
A speÂcial h/t to Rachel RosenÂfelt and The New Inquiry for first introÂducÂing WatÂson (and us) to BrazenÂwood Books.
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly.
You’ve heard him read Lady Gaga, you’ve seen him remÂiÂnisce with his felÂlow lov-ahs on SatÂurÂday Night Live, and you’ve heard him sub in for Leonard Lopate on the radio. But we’re not sure if any of ChristoÂpher Walken’s appearÂances can beat his dementÂed spin on “The Three LitÂtle Pigs.” Mr. Walken’s readÂing of the potenÂtialÂly terÂriÂfyÂing stoÂry is uncharÂacÂterÂisÂtiÂcalÂly jolÂly (he’s going for laughs, not chills), and we freely recÂomÂmend it for chilÂdren. EspeÂcialÂly chilÂdren from BrookÂlyn.
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly.
In 1932, as AmerÂiÂca slipped deepÂer into the Great DepresÂsion, RayÂmond ChanÂdler lost his job as an oil comÂpaÂny execÂuÂtive. DrinkÂing and absenÂteeism didÂn’t help. So it was time to improÂvise. Soon enough, the 45 year old reinÂventÂed himÂself, becomÂing America’s foreÂmost writer of hard-boiled detecÂtive ficÂtion. DurÂing the 30s, he wrote 20 stoÂries for pulp magÂaÂzines and pubÂlished his first novÂel, The Big Sleep(1939). Then, it was off to HolÂlyÂwood, where ChanÂdler co-wrote DouÂble IndemÂniÂty (1944) with BilÂly Wilder and colÂlabÂoÂratÂed on HitchÂcockÂ’s Strangers on a Train(1951).
HolÂlyÂwood may have butÂtered ChanÂdler’s bread, but he nevÂer felt much affecÂtion for the film indusÂtry, and didÂn’t hesÂiÂtate to say so. WritÂing for The Atlantic in NovemÂber, 1945, he lamentÂed how the HolÂlyÂwood sysÂtem bled anyÂthing you’d call “art” from the screenÂwritÂing process:
HolÂlyÂwood is a showÂman’s parÂadise. But showÂmen make nothÂing; they exploit what someÂone else has made. The pubÂlishÂer and the play proÂducÂer are showÂmen too; but they exploit what is already made. The showÂmen of HolÂlyÂwood conÂtrol the makÂing – and thereÂby degrade it. For the basic art of motion picÂtures is the screenÂplay; it is funÂdaÂmenÂtal, withÂout it there is nothÂing. EveryÂthing derives from the screenÂplay, and most of that which derives is an applied skill which, howÂevÂer adept, is artisÂtiÂcalÂly not in the same class with the creÂation of a screenÂplay. But in HolÂlyÂwood the screenÂplay in writÂten by a salaried writer under the superÂviÂsion of a proÂducÂer — that is to say, by an employÂee withÂout powÂer or deciÂsion over the uses of his own craft, withÂout ownÂerÂship of it, and, howÂevÂer extravÂaÂgantÂly paid, almost withÂout honÂor for it.
Hot on the heels of IndeÂpenÂdence Day, here’s a chance to lisÂten to one of AmerÂiÂca’s best writÂers declarÂing his own form of IndeÂpenÂdence — a freeÂdom from some of the more trouÂbling assumpÂtions embedÂded in the EngÂlish lanÂguage. StartÂing with a dry, mild quesÂtionÂing of phrasÂes like “black as night,” “black-heartÂed,” and “black as sin,” BaldÂwin turns quickÂly to a criÂtique of the name of the civÂil rights moveÂment itself, which he sugÂgests would be more accuÂrateÂly described as a slave rebelÂlion.
The logÂic and eloÂquence with which BaldÂwin makes his case is much betÂter savored than explained. Enjoy the clip, and espeÂcialÂly make sure not to miss his remarks on Huck Finn at minute 3:00, or the loveÂly descripÂtion of MalÂcolm X at about minute 5:00. And, to be sure, we’ll add this to our colÂlecÂtion of CulÂturÂal Icons.
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly.
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Wendy MacÂNaughton, an artist and illusÂtraÂtor livÂing in San FranÂcisÂco, wonÂdered what snacks fueled some of our greatÂest writÂers. F. Scott FitzgerÂald turned to apples and canned meats, and KafÂka to milk, durÂing their daiÂly writÂing rouÂtines. How about Lord Byron, EmiÂly DickÂinÂson, MarÂcel Proust, John SteinÂbeck, TruÂman Capote or food writer Michael PolÂlan? MacÂNaughton tells you about their dietary habits in The New York Times Book Review. (And it just so hapÂpens you can find texts by many of these authors in our colÂlecÂtion of Free eBooks.)
