State of the Literary World, Part 1
Today's Times has an inadvertent commentary on just how screwed up the state of serious writing—and reading—is today.
On the one hand, Janet Maslin gushes over a new book,
History of Love, by Nicole Krauss. Sample gush: "Beyond the vigorous whiplash that keeps Ms. Krauss's "History of Love" moving (and keeps its reader offbalance until a stunning finale), this novel is tightly packed with ingenious asides."
On the other hand, literary darling Steve Stern is struggling just to stay in print, despite regularly receiving the kinds of reviews that, well, Janet Maslin gives to Nicole Krauss.
The literary world has never been fair, of course, but there are some particular concerns in this comparison. Why is Nicole Krauss headed for massive success and Steve Stern forced to teach writing at Skidmore College to make a living?
It doesn't sound as if it's because Krauss is much the better writer. Perhaps it's a question of image. Krauss, young and pretty, is pictured lying down in blue jeans and a low-cut blouse. The middle-aged Stern is pictured from the waist up, wearing a sweater that appears as bedraggled as does the rest of him.
Krauss also happens to be married to literary celebrity Jonathan Safran Foer, author of the wildly overrated
Everything is Illuminated. The two make for good copy: the Times recently ran a real estate article about their purchase of a $6 million townhouse in Brooklyn.
Writers write today in a culture in which fewer and fewer people are reading. That's partly why publishers like to have a pretty face and a sexy backstory to market. But I can't help thinking that this is not, ultimately, how the written word will retain its relevance. Writers are never going to be able to compete with movie stars on the looks front; you can't win competing on someone else's territory. (And you sure don't see Hollywood studios marketing their stars as really, really smart.)
Publishers have to have faith in what they sell...even if Steve Stern doesn't much resemble Brad Pitt. They may just have to think of more creative ways to sell it. Maybe promoting Stern's new book, Angel of Forgetfulness, on the web is one way....
