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| Hearsay: |
Popular author Picoult is smarting after other popular author, who does not, presumably, have ovaries or melanin surfeit, got a great review in the NYT. If Moby were not on vacation, I’m sure we’d have a great statistical analysis of the last ten years of NYT reviews. Maybe I should pick up the slack and… NAH.
Picoult, whose popular novels of everyday people facing awful dilemmas have sold more than 12m copies worldwide but are largely overlooked by the literary establishment, was quick to respond. “NYT raved about Franzen’s new book. Is anyone shocked?” she wrote on Twitter. “Would love to see the NYT rave about authors who aren’t white male literary darlings.” For every review of authors such as Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat or the Dominican-American Pulitzer winner Junot DĂaz, “there are 10 Lethems and Franzens,” she added later.
Picoult also criticised Kakutani’s use of the word “lapidary”. “Did you know what [it] meant when you read it in Kakutani’s review? I think reviewers just like to look smart,” she tweeted.
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August 20th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Though I’m not a part of the literary establishment, I do tend to overlook Jodi Picoult. Mostly because I read one of her books once, and it was terrible.
August 22nd, 2010 at 6:27 pm
What year is this? In 2010 someone actually thinks being a straight white male is an advantage when it comes to the publishing establishment? Look at the New Yorker 20 Under 40 list. It’s a Benetton ad of diversity. Picoult (a hack pop fiction chick lit writer) thinks Franzen gets the cover of Time and a good review in NY Times – for a book she hasn’t read yet – because of his race? As opposed to the fact that his writing is art and she hacks out beach reads. Also, citing Junot Diaz and Edwidge Dandicat is really lampoonably ridiculous. I can’t think of two ‘minority’ authors who’ve ridden the gravy train of their own ethnicity to more accolades and awards (with dubious actual talent) than those two.
Sean S
August 23rd, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Seriously Sean?
Danticat and Diaz “riding the gravy train of their own ethnicity?”
I’ve read all of one and most of the other, and I could survive quite nicely on a diet of books as good.
What did I miss?
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Thus far have only read one story each by Danticat and Diaz, both superb. Versus one massively bad novel (my first & last) by Piccoult (thanks to a book club I really should quit) where thin characterization was supplemented by . . . a different font for each character.