I think the real tragedy of Taylor's response was that he was too thin-skinned regarding himself and his threatened "identities" to recognize the golden thread of constructive advice in the review. Miller didn't say that Taylor was a nonpareil Tweetmeister but could never succeed at the novel format.
Rather, Miller was saying that Taylor would benefit from escaping the navel-gazing rut of confected writers' workshop prose and injecting his artless, eloquent Tweetstyle into his novels. Miller goes on to instance writers who overcame block and improved by recasting their thoughts as an email to, or conversation with, a friend. Just like his Tweets.
But that went fwip! right over his head and he erupted in race baiting slanders.
He seems to be a gifted writer when he hews to a natural and unaffected groove. Sigh.
If "You Must Remember This" was by Jo Schmoe, there's no way I would ever buy it, as that genre is generally not my cup of tea, however I'm very glad I did as it was a terrific read, and so you are absolutely right in that regard, if you have a social media following, those folks will take a chance to read something they would probably not normally consider.
Since reading “You must remember this” (by Kat), I have decided to refer to author as Kat ‘Muhammad Ali’ Rosenfield. Rosenfield knocked me out cold, with a single punch when I was least expecting it- during the last 10% of book. Total surprise. You have a future writing a murder mystery (Or any Betrayal Mystery) movie script for Hollywood. I of course- as a handsome debonair geriatric bachelor can play the role of butler- I will need a teleprompter screen to read from, though.
And Phoebe - please, the clock is ticking. In a few decades my brain will be oatmeal. Please publish your next book. Your audience awaits.
"Q: Have you ever changed your opinion of a book based on information about the author, or anything else?
A: Never not once not even a little bit.
Finding out things about authors mostly just means I can’t tell other people in public that I’m reading them, but it changes nothing about my own ethical stance on the work."
I had never heard of Brandon Taylor before reading the linked-to interview (which came out only shortly before the podcast), but when I saw this quote, I thought "Ah, a contemporary literary author willing to at least subtle admit the existence of social pressures to conform to what contemporary lefty circles deem politically allowable at the moment, even if he's reading "non-allowed" books on the sly. Maybe I should check out his work." And then I read descriptions of the books and decided they were basically the same kind of writer's workshop fiction that I have found nauseatingly navel-gazing every time I've read it before. Hard pass from me.
Tragic that the writer Taylor could have become was hijacked into identity grievance. Good that Taylor waited several days before responding to tweets. His agent/manager should have advised him to refrain. I expect NYU faculty to be classier.
Kat and Phoebe’s books are on my bookshelf (and read). I have not published a book, so I don’t know how the brain-task of book-writing compares to Twitter use. As an old-school luddite snob, I don’t use Twitter but suspect that extensive use takes up brain thought that would be better used writing journal articles and books. Maybe Twitter is glitter and books are glue.
In defense of Taylor, perhaps he excels within a niche of “People I went to school with”. Kat Rosenfield - whose writing skill I envy, has authored at least three books about young complex women who navigate social mine-fields, (her main characters are smarter than me). That is also a niche. Taylor probably needs a gorgeous geriatric husband (hint) to inspire him, when he isn’t busy home-testing me for early Alzheimer’s symptoms.
I am an eligible homosexual bachelor - gorgeous in a frugal bohemian-geriatric sort of way. I just received an update from my personal psychic, who predicts that Brandon Tatum and I will marry. Amazing- formerly a sexy Hollywood movie star, now a writer. He, being so noble and chivalrous will insist that I become a homosexual trad-husband and we will reside in his penthouse duplex on Park Ave at his expense. His next novel will be about a NYU professor who is madly in love with a gentleman- 3 times his age.
Careful with exotic mushrooms- people end up in the hospital with liver damage. I heard a story from one of the participants, he attended mushroom-tasting at restaurant where he worked; organized by the restaurant’s “mushroom expert”. Everyone went to hospital.
I think the real tragedy of Taylor's response was that he was too thin-skinned regarding himself and his threatened "identities" to recognize the golden thread of constructive advice in the review. Miller didn't say that Taylor was a nonpareil Tweetmeister but could never succeed at the novel format.
Rather, Miller was saying that Taylor would benefit from escaping the navel-gazing rut of confected writers' workshop prose and injecting his artless, eloquent Tweetstyle into his novels. Miller goes on to instance writers who overcame block and improved by recasting their thoughts as an email to, or conversation with, a friend. Just like his Tweets.
But that went fwip! right over his head and he erupted in race baiting slanders.
He seems to be a gifted writer when he hews to a natural and unaffected groove. Sigh.
ARTNews reviewed the Hannah Gadsby Pablo-matic show in Brooklyn today and found it insufficiently strident. :-(
If "You Must Remember This" was by Jo Schmoe, there's no way I would ever buy it, as that genre is generally not my cup of tea, however I'm very glad I did as it was a terrific read, and so you are absolutely right in that regard, if you have a social media following, those folks will take a chance to read something they would probably not normally consider.
Any podcast that finds an excuse to quote Clueless is alright in my book.
Since reading “You must remember this” (by Kat), I have decided to refer to author as Kat ‘Muhammad Ali’ Rosenfield. Rosenfield knocked me out cold, with a single punch when I was least expecting it- during the last 10% of book. Total surprise. You have a future writing a murder mystery (Or any Betrayal Mystery) movie script for Hollywood. I of course- as a handsome debonair geriatric bachelor can play the role of butler- I will need a teleprompter screen to read from, though.
And Phoebe - please, the clock is ticking. In a few decades my brain will be oatmeal. Please publish your next book. Your audience awaits.
From the NYTRB interview with Brandon Taylor:
"Q: Have you ever changed your opinion of a book based on information about the author, or anything else?
A: Never not once not even a little bit.
Finding out things about authors mostly just means I can’t tell other people in public that I’m reading them, but it changes nothing about my own ethical stance on the work."
I had never heard of Brandon Taylor before reading the linked-to interview (which came out only shortly before the podcast), but when I saw this quote, I thought "Ah, a contemporary literary author willing to at least subtle admit the existence of social pressures to conform to what contemporary lefty circles deem politically allowable at the moment, even if he's reading "non-allowed" books on the sly. Maybe I should check out his work." And then I read descriptions of the books and decided they were basically the same kind of writer's workshop fiction that I have found nauseatingly navel-gazing every time I've read it before. Hard pass from me.
Tragic that the writer Taylor could have become was hijacked into identity grievance. Good that Taylor waited several days before responding to tweets. His agent/manager should have advised him to refrain. I expect NYU faculty to be classier.
Kat and Phoebe’s books are on my bookshelf (and read). I have not published a book, so I don’t know how the brain-task of book-writing compares to Twitter use. As an old-school luddite snob, I don’t use Twitter but suspect that extensive use takes up brain thought that would be better used writing journal articles and books. Maybe Twitter is glitter and books are glue.
In defense of Taylor, perhaps he excels within a niche of “People I went to school with”. Kat Rosenfield - whose writing skill I envy, has authored at least three books about young complex women who navigate social mine-fields, (her main characters are smarter than me). That is also a niche. Taylor probably needs a gorgeous geriatric husband (hint) to inspire him, when he isn’t busy home-testing me for early Alzheimer’s symptoms.
I am an eligible homosexual bachelor - gorgeous in a frugal bohemian-geriatric sort of way. I just received an update from my personal psychic, who predicts that Brandon Tatum and I will marry. Amazing- formerly a sexy Hollywood movie star, now a writer. He, being so noble and chivalrous will insist that I become a homosexual trad-husband and we will reside in his penthouse duplex on Park Ave at his expense. His next novel will be about a NYU professor who is madly in love with a gentleman- 3 times his age.
Careful with exotic mushrooms- people end up in the hospital with liver damage. I heard a story from one of the participants, he attended mushroom-tasting at restaurant where he worked; organized by the restaurant’s “mushroom expert”. Everyone went to hospital.