What I Read On And Off The Internet This Week
A summary of my week in literary tabs and books, along with a new essay and an upcoming event in London.
I was only ever on Twitter for reading recommendations and community, and so as Twitter approaches the end—and I mean the end for me, as I’m not paying for it and I’m not giving that man my credit card information—I will share what I read, what I’ve written and where I’ll be speaking and teaching. This is a new free weekly feature as the newsletter moves to offering paid subscription content.
C U R R E N T R E A D S
I am rereading Under The Net, by Iris Murdoch, and picking up A Fairly Good Time, by Mavis Gallant even as I’m also re-reading Giovanni’s Room, all for the novel I’m working on. I’m also thinking to sign up for Garth Greenwell’s upcoming class on Giovanni’s Room.
E V E N T S
If you are in London, join me for my conversation with Rebecca May Johnson at Daunt Books Marylebone on October 5th. We will be discussing the new translation of Natalia Ginzburg’s novella Valentino, a favorite of mine, for which Daunt nicely asked me to write the introduction.
E S S A Y S
My introduction to Lan Samantha Chang’s reissued debut collection of stories is online at Lit Hub.
It may be Vauhini Vara’s fate to go viral writing about AI. It may be because she once again provides a deeper and more thoughtful look at the controversial emerging technology and its problems for writers.
I loved finding Jill Talbot’s essay in the form of a syllabus, one of the best examples of what we call a hermit crab essay (an essay that borrows the form of an entirely different creature) that I’ve ever read.
I was amused by this look back at the literary influence of Lytton Strachey’s groundbreaking Eminent Victorians, found as I was clicking around the internet looking for Bloomsbury content.
And this history of Brick Lane Mosque in the East End is just one of the many things I am reading as a part of educating myself about London, and the neighborhood around Queen Mary, where I’m teaching this fall.
P O E T R Y
The Kenyon Review’s new issue has a special supplement, Luminous Gender Vessel, co-edited by my beloved Gabby Calvocoressi and Melissa Faliveno. You can read five items online for free if you register or you can subscribe, well worth it.
There is also a stunning poem by my beloved Donika Kelly, and two poems by my beloved Sam Sax, whose new book of poems, Pig, is out now.
Yes, I love many poets.
L I N K S
The Twitter/X account for Haruki Murakami is a fake and it is a good example of why the new paid verification system is an abject failure. Anyway we don’t need to freak out about this account’s bad takes.
If you like me are having trouble keeping up with the new books out this year, Alta Online has a great round-up of fiction, poetry and nonfiction for this September.
For those of you who’ve subscribed to this newsletter, thank you so much. For the new paying subscribers, bless you.For those of you who are founding subscribers, I’m honored and I will thank you in the acknowledgements of my next book, and send you a signed first edition of my next book as well.
The first month of my upcoming series of third person letters from London will be available to all so you can get a sense of them—if you haven’t read my previous updates, they mean to be an account of my time in London this fall and winter, teaching at Queen Mary University of London and leading my department’s foreign studies program here while also writing a new novel. And experimenting—here—with autofiction. If you have questions or suggestions, please drop me a line here.
Until next time,
Alexander Chee
I'm so glad you're here! Thank you for giving us a this way to read and support your work.
https://www.thegentleauthorstours.com/p/the-tour
You might like to try a walking tour with the Gentle Author (www.spitalfieldslife.com) exploring the east end around QMUL.