Roald Dahl, author & seducer-spy
Children’s author Roald Dahl seduced a string of women in service of Her Majesty’s Gov’t. (Via.)
W is for wanton: Inside MFK Fisher’s house
Michelle Green visits author MFK Fisher’s Last Home, where the warning sign used to read “Trespassers will be violated.” (Via.)
Salinger outmoded?
Junot Díaz’s Drown is one of the works an Oberlin professor says should replace The Catcher in the Rye on high school syllabi.
Little-known writings of Judith Viorst
Judith Viorst, author of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, wrote a 1968 book of poetry for adults, It’s Hard to be Hip Over Thirty.
Nabokov notecards surfacing
Nabokov’s unfinished The Original of Laura comprises 138 index cards. Last weekend, Die Zeit thrilled fans by running scans of four.
Katrina benefit / New Stories from the South party recap & southern culture trivia quiz
Many thanks to all who made it out to the Katrina benefit / New Stories from the South party last night. It was a good crowd, and we raised $420 for KARES.
(Today, by the way, marks the 3rd anniversary of the storm. As Gustav bears down on the Coast, IFC is showing [...]
The newspaper clippings of Lewis Carroll
Browse Lewis Carroll’s scrapbook. It’s eclectic as I expected, but not quite as odd.
Futurese: English a thousand years hence?
American English circa 3000 A.D.: SF-steeped predictions about the future of the language. (Via.)
Narrative contest results announced
A newly-revamped Narrative announces the winners of the First-Person Contest.
Somewhere, someone treasures a Sedaris book signed “Abortions, $13!”
On the heels of that story about Stephen King, one weary night, autographing his novels in his own blood, Carolyn Kellogg of the LA Times’ Jacket Copy has a fun post about favorite signed books.
She shared one of her own treasures, and invited Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, Nam Le, Claire Zulkey, Jami Attenberg, Anne [...]
Twittering Paradise Lost: A roundabout explanation
When I was a kid I used to sit in my closet with the light on at night and worry about religion.
What if God was a trap? What if Heaven didn’t exist and being Born Again was for suckers? What if Satan had the real paradise, and only people brave enough to [...]
New Amazon Kindle model may target college kids
Amazon plans a campus edition of the Kindle, and acquires Shelfari.
British theater censors’ midcentury terror of homosexuality
Yes to pansy, no to bugger: A new British Library exhibit explores theater censorship of the ’50s & ’60s, including responses to Pinter.
A few of the highlights from the Y’s fall schedule
Upcoming at the 92nd Street Y: An Emily Dickinson brunch talk, Dostoevsky adapted, Woolf’s The Waves, and Toni Morrison. (Via.)
Local events, now through Labor Day
Every time Lauren goes on vacation, I get nervous she’ll breeze back into town, some fabulous new scent trailing behind her, and announce a revised life plan, which will involve a multimillion dollar business scheme and a great deal of European travel, but will mean the end of The Smart Set (her weekly events listing, [...]
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