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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Books Yesterday the Stranger Suggested: Michael Chabon

Posted by Nadia Abdelrhman on Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 2:42 PM

Meet Nadia Abdelrhman, a Stranger reader who has vowed to do everything The Stranger suggests for the entire month of March. Look for her reports daily on Slog and Line Out. —Eds.

Michael Chabon won a Pulitzer prize, guys, which I imagine makes reading from a piece, wherein you call out the names of your sixth grade bullies, all the more sweet.

And, Chabon really loves Edgar Allan Poe. He read excerpts from his Gentlemen of the Road, which reveres the former literary great. I like Poe too, so I was down with it. I was even down with the part where he admitted that—in the sixth grade—he believed he was the reincarnation of the late, great Poe. But make no mistake, he doesn't believe in reincarnation anymore, for it is too stained of human wishes.

He is verbose and the fans love it. I am in a back corner of the near-to-capacity auditorium in Benaroya Hall, "relaxed" and in translucently transcendent reverie of Poe via an aggrandized Chabon.

During the Q&A, he informed the crowd that he started out reading DC Comics, but switched to Marvel at age 11; stated his belief that a work of fiction can breech the unknowable core that resides within each of us; presupposed why there aren't any Jews in Westerns; and finally, claimed he and his wife were single-handedly responsible for the Obama win, via the ripple effect.

After the reading, Benaroya Patrons, i.e.; anyone who had paid $50 or more for a ticket, were invited to a drink and greet with the author at the W Hotel. Luckily, The Stranger secured me one of those tickets.

I went to the W, walked up some stairs, and was met with a posh, dimly lit lounge harboring free wine, hors d'oeuvres, and Chabon himself, encircled by his many adoring admirers.

Having never read the fellow, it took me two glasses of wine and the kind urgings of some hawkish, older fans to ask him two uninspired questions. After giving him my spiel about why I was there, in a roundabout way, I asked him if he could imagine some other career in which he could have made a similarly substantial mark on the world—to which he had little to no answer; he said he kind of wanted to be an architect at some point during his childhood. After that, I asked him about his musical preferences; he said he likes almost everything, besides bluegrass and polka.

I would have approved of this event, but when I admitted to Chabon that I hadn't actually read any of his work, he deftly shot back that it was okay, because he hadn't read any of mine either. Later, when I took the bus home, I found an almost empty container of urine on the ground next to my seat. It rolled over my foot before I noticed it was there.

Comments (19) RSS

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This review is not clever. It's not even a review. It's 8 paragraphs of unintelligent apathy. Lindy West is able to combine marked cynicism with clever bits of generational apathy because she is a talented writer, and because she also has interesting things to say. Nadia, you are no Lindy West.
I am embarrassed for the Seattle lit community if this is what Chabon remembers about his Seattle audience.

Posted by melodnium on March 10, 2010 at 2:55 PM

Um, not really sure what this write up has to do with Lindy West. Anyway, I for one am appalled that Chabon doesn't read Slog.

Posted by caffeinated on March 10, 2010 at 3:08 PM

Steven King is that you?

Posted by jns on March 10, 2010 at 3:09 PM

@2 - made ref. to Lindy West because this entry seems as if it's trying to use the same tongue-in-cheek, reporting with clever humour that is common with Stranger writers. Most of the time they do it quite well. This one does not.

Posted by melodnium on March 10, 2010 at 3:25 PM

I'm curious to know why Chabon doesn't like bluegrass and polka.

Posted by stinkbug on March 10, 2010 at 3:32 PM

@1 I don't know what you expect from someone who has never read the author whose reading she's forced to attend.

Posted by funkathrusta on March 10, 2010 at 3:46 PM

@1 for the I-wish-I-was-a-critic-so-I-criticize-critics win.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on March 10, 2010 at 3:55 PM

Funkathrusta has it exactly correct. It was obvious that talking to an author you've never read could go poorly, but Nadia went ahead anyways out of a sense of duty, I think. Hopefully other events this month will be more relevant to her. Getting pissed on in comments would appear to be redundant, #1.

Posted by RL is too lazy to log in on March 10, 2010 at 4:01 PM

@1 wow, this is thestranger,wait, this is slog at the stranger, lighten up! Nadia, did you pick up that fiver right next to the cup of pee?

Posted by slog along now on March 10, 2010 at 4:05 PM

@7 - I thought that the point of this "review-a-day" experiment to explore new potential Stranger writers. If so, I assume that the staff would want feedback from the readership.
@8 - In order to adequately review an event that Nadia had been granted access to by the Stranger, it would seem that the respectful thing to do would have been to explore, however briefly, Chabon's work. Her review instead showed a flippant disrespect for his work, his presence at the reading and for the organization that she represents.
If my standards are too high for those responding to my first post, so be it. End of thread for me.

Posted by melodnium on March 10, 2010 at 4:15 PM

I really liked this review, and I think "melodnium" (#1) has a stick up his/her butt. No, I don't know Nadia... I just think the review is funny and well-written, in an interesting way. And I'm glad to have read it.

Posted by nadia fan on March 10, 2010 at 4:18 PM

@10 I don't think the point of the reviews is testing potential staff, just getting feedback from a Seattleite on the Stranger's daily recommendations. It also seems like a hell of a month-long endurance test.

Posted by caffeinated on March 10, 2010 at 4:23 PM

@1 Lay off on the poor urine-footed girl. The Stranger springs these events on the person a day in advance, leaving them no time to prepare. When exactly was she supposed to skim two or three Chabon books? While she was at last night's event? On the bus to the reading? She's not supposed to be an expert on every event they throw at her--she's supposed to describe and react. Want someone to be the intelligent voice of the literary Seattle scene? You should have gone yourself and asked pointed questions. You have no excuse to bitch.

Posted by -ink on March 10, 2010 at 4:45 PM

Incorrect - there was no reading from "Gentlemen of the Road."

Posted by huhuhuh on March 10, 2010 at 5:05 PM

The talk was entitled, "I was Edgar Allan Poe! A true story of imaginary reincarnation, literary influence, and pathetically belated revenge."

Oops.

Posted by howdoyoudo on March 10, 2010 at 5:12 PM

Did I miss the other days you were supposed to do the Stranger Suggests? I think you've been skipping out on some... WTF!~

Posted by oldmanandthesea

on March 10, 2010 at 6:35 PM

@10: I agree that she should have done some prep ahead of the reading — the Suggestions calendar is published weekly on Wednesday, so she could have read some essays at least. Which she may have, but there's no evidence for it in the review. Nonetheless, I feel badly for her; it is rough getting snapped on by a semi-famous author, and I get the impression from this review that it ruined her night. Maybe she should have just lied. But should that really be necessary? Is Chabon still the arrogant child he described?

FWIW, I was at the reading, enjoyed it, and am having a difficult time trying to describe it to others — there was a lot of fancy prose going on, and just describing the themes of the reading gives only the scantiest reflection of what I felt at the time. IMHO, recommendation approved. It wasn't even sold out day-of (a common but probably unavoidable issue with the Recommendations).

Finally, with continued engagement, your criticism appears sincere. I apologize for assuming you were trolling.

Posted by RL is too lazy to log in on March 11, 2010 at 1:17 AM

I'm pretty sure that this is just an undertaking that someone else started, and the stranger likes it because it keeps them in check with their suggestions, i definitely don't think it's to find new writers, have you read the other two reviewers before Nadia?? Not very good... with that said she probably should not have admitted to not having read Chabon's work, that's a pretty big insult, so if that ruined her night it's her own fault.

Posted by good enough on March 11, 2010 at 10:12 AM

I don't understand why admitting to not having read someone's work is an insult. If it was her job as a reporter to report on the author then yes, doing some research would be the professional thing to do. But when you are just going to events to experience knew things (suggested by someone else), then I think she did a fine job. You'd think the author would be happy he has access to a new audience.

The remark about almost approving the event seemed half serious and only to reference the exchange between her and the author. I think some on this thread are taking themselves a little too seriously.

Posted by i liked it on March 11, 2010 at 1:33 PM