Category Archives: Literature

‘Bukowski: Born Into This’

I just watched this documentary and felt very sad, so sad that I had to watch an episode of Coupling afterward to laugh and feel good again. I’ve never read Bukowski because I hear he’s depressing and I want more … Continue reading

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Automatic Writing

I found out about "automatic writing" this week while reading the Richard Elmann biography of the poet W. B. Yeats. "Automatic writing" means writing without conscious control. Say you are watching TV or talking to a friend and your hand … Continue reading

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I’m Reading Shellard’s Biography Of Theater Critic Kenneth Tynan

The parallels between Tynan and I are frightening. He was the first person to use the f-word on the BBC. I am the first person to use the f-word on the internet.

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A Pilgrimage of Passion: The Life of Wilfrid Scawen Blunt

I’m reading an essay by the author Elizabeth Longford about her writing up the life of poet Wilfrid Scawen Blunt. She was all hot and bothered by Blunt’s voracious sexuality. She writes: …But I have to admit to a moment … Continue reading

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Cheever: A Life by Blake Bailey

I’m loving this 2009 biography. I love the insights into body use in this quote from Cheever: “In an upper-class gathering I suddenly think of myself as a pariah—a small and dirty fraud, a deserved outcast, a spiritual and sexual … Continue reading

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