Morning Bites: Humping Bellow’s Wife, Oxford Press In India, University Of Chicago Exploding Toilets, And More

“I understand you know Saul Bellow,” to which Ludwig replied, “Know him? Hell, I’m fucking his wife.” – On the guy who shtupped Saul Bellow’s wife. The rise of “clit lit” in the UK. Rob Horning at The New Inquiry on Pinterest. Darin Strauss pits The Sopranos against Six Feet Under.  Who will prevail? Looking back on 100 years of Oxford University Press in India. Behold the exploding toilets at the University of Chicago. Follow Vol. 1 Brooklyn on Twitter, Facebook, Google + and our Tumblr.

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Morning Bites: Keith Moon, Darin Strauss on faith, Bernard-Henri Lévy feeling good, and more

Today would have been the 65th birthday of Keith Moon.  He was the greatest rock drummer ever.  Period. Darin Strauss on faith at the Jewish Book Council blog. Tao Lin interviews Ben Lerner at The Believer.  There is talk of declawing cats. Bernard-Henri Lévy is feeling pretty good about Libya right now.  Especially since he was so instrumental in getting his country to intervene in the fighting. Caryn Rose’s B-Sides and Broken Hearts gets reviewed. Funny guy Nick Kroll teaches […]

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Weekend Bites: Myla Goldberg & Darin Strauss for Charity, Paul Murray Interviewed, Dave Eggers Demons and More

Tomorrow at Union Hall in Brooklyn, Myla Goldberg and Darin Strauss (both pictured above) discuss their new books, one of which looks back on the past through the lens of fiction, the other through the lens of memoir. All proceeds go to The Brooklyn New School (P.S. 146). Graywolf Press to publish poetry of imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo. At Beatrice: An interview with Skippy Dies author Paul Murray. At The Washington Post: Dave Eggers is done fighting […]

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When Good Books Happen to Bad Things: Darin Strauss’ Half a Life

Posted by Nick Curley McSweeney’s; 208 pp; $22.00. In every teenage life moments emerge which, were they to have gone a bit differently, would inexorably lapse one’s life into bad decline.  You eat the blue pill instead of the red, and before you can make amends, the proverbial rabbit hole closes in tight.  Nowhere do such tragic mishaps occur more often than on the open road, so tempting to young drivers while demanding split-second precision from them.  Half a Life, […]

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