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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

For those who still care about art writing (I've lost nearly everyone) and for those who still listen to podcasts (there goes the last one), a series of terrific (and, yes, very nerdy) recordings of talks on judgment and criticism that were given during February's speaker series in Vancouver are recently archived here.

Maria Fusco, one of my favorite of the speakers (half of her talk is a short story that ends on the verge of pornography), is also Frieze magazine's "Ideal Syllabus" victim this month, meaning it's running a list of the books that have most influenced her.

Her top choice? The Third Policeman by Brian O'Nolan/Flann O'Brien, in which a character has this to say to the narrator: "The particular death you die is not even a death (which is an inferior phenomenon at best) only an insanitary abstraction in the backyard."

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"For those who still care about art writing (I've lost nearly everyone)"

Most hilarious line of the year.

Posted by Laugh? I nearly shat on September 23, 2009 at 11:37 AM

Well, she sure as hell lost me. But then, I usually bail when I see her name at the top of the post.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on September 23, 2009 at 11:46 AM

I think that book cover might be by the great Ettienne Delessert.

And:

Jen Graves, you are fighting the good fight. Do not despair that nearly every comment on your posts has almost nothing to do with what you write about. Just post more. This gotdamn city will come around at some point.

Posted by Strath

on September 23, 2009 at 11:48 AM

Ooh, Strath, that's neat. Thank you. However, according to Abebooks, the illo is by John Farman.

There's a sad story behind this book; it was only published after O'Brien's death, as he was unable to interest any British or American publisher in publishing it, even after the success of his first, "At Swim Two Birds". He tried to destroy the manuscript.

Posted by Fnarf

on September 23, 2009 at 12:38 PM

He could have gotten it published in the '60s though if he'd tried...he instead gutted it for the vastly inferior "The Dalkey Archive". So, yes, sad, but he didn't write it at a sad time...it's a dark book but also really really funny. Everyone should read it, and skip any introductions until after, as in some editions they give away the ending.

Posted by g on September 23, 2009 at 12:47 PM