I recently posted on Twitter and Facebook an essay by Oliver Sacks that described his end-of-life struggles (invariable for us all), recounted with bittersweet resignation. Sacks expressed his gratitude for being given a life of rewarding work as well as the unusual aptitude to understand the complex, mysterious and often misconstrued workings of the human brain.
Reading Dostoyevsky: Advice for Writers from a Writer
Many novelists shut down on reading fiction while they are at work on a book. Some fear that the voice of an author whom they admire might influence their voice, thereby weakening its sound and effect. I am the opposite. [Read more…]
Is 55 Years Worth The Wait?
Harper Lee’s New Novel
I am amazed at how much media attention has been focused on the summer 2015 publication of Harper Lee’s follow-up novel to To Kill A Mockingbird. The new book is to be called Go Set A Watchman, and this title seems somewhat clumsy in comparison to Lee’s beloved novel that is a staple of secondary school education in the United States as well as internationally.
Guess how much a 6-month royalty check pays for a book that was published in 1960?
