Flavorwire (Free subscription) | 11/10/2009
We've heard that nobody reads anymore. At his New Yorker Festival reading this fall, Gary Shteyngart described his upcoming novel as a view of a futuristic, totally illiterate New York - "So, next Tuesday," he quipped. Ouch. Here at Flavorpill, we know that a healthy dose of legitimate literature is essential to offset all the twittering and facebooking we do every day, so fight the good...
Maud Newton (Free subscription) | 11/05/2009
The novelist Felipe Alfau suggests that English imposes a stiff and unnatural logic on the Spanish immigrant. “He is a queer bird, the Americaniard … His health never suffered when he was at home, but the moment he learns a little English, he begins to consult the directory for physicians and psychoanalysts.” Meanwhile, Gary Shteyngart, [...]
My Machberet (Free subscription) | 10/25/2009
If you're in New York City and have time available on Tuesday evening, October 27, you may want to check out this event at Columbia University:"Join Ilan Stavans, editor of The Library of America's new anthology Becoming Americans: Four Centuries of Immigrant Writing, and two contributors, award-winning writers Jhumpa Lahiri and Gary Shteyngart, for an evening of readings and discussion. Open...
Blades Out (Free subscription) | 09/25/2009
A couple of notes on a lazy Thursday evening as the sun sets over the Pacific.... I have a new piece on KPBS's Culture Lust blog. I briefly discuss the virtues of Pynchon, Reif Larsen, and Ron Currie, although, if you're reading the Catapult, you know my feelings on those gentlemen already. Regardless, I'm happy to be contributing to Angela's site again, even if it's only this one time - although,...
Grub Street - New York Magazine's Food and Restaurant Blog (Free subscription) | 09/04/2009
Writer Tao Lin sips iced Think Coffee in Washington Square Park. Novelist Tao Lin “writes in a showy outsider style — deadpan realism garnished casually with absurdity,” New York 's Sam Anderson wrote earlier this year . He joins Grub Street favorites Jonathan Lethem , Colson Whitehead , and Gary Shteyngart on September 13 at the Brooklyn Book Festival , where he’ll read from...
Pardon Me For Asking (Free subscription) | 08/28/2009
This simply has to be one of Brooklyn's coolest events. I was unable to attend last September, but am hoping to go this year. Below, find all relevant info. 2009 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL IS HUGE, FREE NATIONAL LITERARY DESTINATION EVENT Over 220 literary superstars and pop culture trailblazers at hip, smart, diverse festival of ideas SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 10AM - 6PM BOROUGH HALL PLAZA , 209 JORALEMON...
<HTMLGIANT> (Free subscription) | 08/18/2009
Gary Shteyngart reads/performs a bit from Gogol’s Dead Souls; he first reads in English and then in Russian. Really fascinating to hear it in Russian. The reading was part of 92Y Poetry Center’s celebration of Gogol’s 200th birthday on March 30th.
92Y Blog (Free subscription) | 08/12/2009
Gary Shteyngart reading from Nikolai Gogol Gogol’s Dead Souls, March 30, at 92Y On Mar 30 of this year as part of Unterberg Poetry Center’s Main Reading Series , writers Ken Kalfus, Gary Saul Morson, Gary Shteyngart (who we interviewed here before ) and others paid tribute and celebrated Nikolai Gogol in honor of his 200th birthday. In the video above, Gary reads from Gogol’s Dead...
Luxist (Free subscription) | 08/02/2009
From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties: --Nascar driver Jimmie Johnson has put his New York city condo on the market for $4.4 million. He bought the loft in 2007 for $3.98 million. The listing is here. --Bruce Livingstone, who founded online stock-photography provider iStockphoto has paid $2.5 million for a landmark midcentury Los Angeles home. Livingstone bought the house in an all-cash...
Omniorthogonal (Free subscription) | 07/27/2009
Readers (well, one) have occasionally accused me of being anti-Catholic for my harsh words about some of the misdeeds of the Catholic Church, while ignoring the sins of the Jews. So just for the record let me state that I highly disapprove of rabbis who are part of international human-organ trafficking rings , with or without the mayors of Secaucus and Hoboken as co-conspirators. Oy, what a shande...
Chew your grouse (Free subscription) | 07/16/2009
I am, at long last, boxing some books, moving forward with moving. The truck gets here in a month. With effort I am culling books that I have not read, and/or will never read again. Prominent cullees at this point in time include: Gary Shteyngart Rory Stewart Patrick Leigh Farmer Heloise and Abelard Sigmund Freud Nikolai Dobroliubov and others I should chuck more, but it's hard, you know.
Flavorwire (Free subscription) | 07/09/2009
When Love is a Four-Letter Word: True Stories of Breakups, Bad Relationships, and Broken Hearts turned up on our desk, we were excited to read lovelorn tales from great writers like Wendy McClure, Kate Christensen, Gary Shteyngart, Junot Diaz, and Jami Attenberg, among others. Here's a line or two from each of their stories. To find out who's who, follow the jump.
Curbed (Free subscription) | 06/22/2009
[Photo via hellanina/Flickr ] 1) The four-story building at 493 Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill collapsed Sunday afternoon , somehow resulting in no serious injuries. The Local blog notes that the building was recently cited by the DOB for some structural issues, including a big crack running up its east-facing wall. The collapse also damaged the neighboring building at 491 Myrtle Avenue, which will...
World Hum (Free subscription) | 06/05/2009
Our contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days. Michael Yessis I loved reading Gary Shteyngart’s views on travel and travel writing, courtesy of his interview with Rob Verger. Makes me want to go back and re-read his excellent book, Absurdistan .
World Hum (Free subscription) | 06/03/2009
Rob Verger asks the author about the search for authenticity and the evolving task of travel writers
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