A Special Issue

In which I ask you to save for me the latest issue of The New Yorker

A friend from Cullman Center sent this photo last night. I need to get my hands on a copy soon. This post is an appeal to all my friends who subscribe to The New Yorker to save for me their copy of the latest issue.

The reason for my appeal is this magisterial review of My Beloved Life by the inestimable James Wood. My plan is to use all the pages that I’m able to collect to paper the walls of my study. What do you think? This move should either give me the necessary satisfaction to retire, or just enough armor to continue to engage in the every day battle to find the right words. In yesterday’s obit in the New York Times for the wonderfully innovative writer John Barth had this lovely quote regarding reviews:

You enjoyed his quote, I hope, but in case you also read the caption beneath the photograph of Barth, your interest has perhaps been piqued. So let me quickly provide the complete quote:

Returning to Wood’s attentive and generous review, let’s call it his passionate virtuosity, may I urge you to also buy and read my novel? I have also recorded the Audible version of the novel, and you can hear me read it. There are also a few upcoming appearances this month. On April 11, I’ll be participating in a conversation entitled “Either I’m Nobody or I’m a Nation” at an event at Columbia University. A few days later, I’m going to be reading in Pittsburgh and in conversation with Anderson Tepper on April 16 at the City of Asylum. Later in the month, on April 27, I’ll be at the Booktopia festival in Manchester, VT.