(Untitled)

[dickmalone]

Joyce Carol Oates says of Keith Gessen:

Equally preoccupied with his work, and his inability to complete it, is the Russian studies graduate student Mark, who finds himself in exile in Syracuse, New York, where he is trying to finish his Ph.D. dissertation on the ill-fated Russian revolutionaries the Mensheviks; now divorced after Sasha left him,

Comments

[von_doom]

I never really understood what the big deal was about Joyce Carol Oates, she seems like the novelist of the perfectly obvious. She's been editor of some things I liked, though I can't remember now what they were. A Lovecraft collection, I guess, and something else.

[dickmalone]

Her early short stories were a pretty big influence on me, maybe to my detriment. "Four Summers" is probably the most accurate thing ever written about growing up in central NY.

[von_doom]

You know, I never have read any short stories, just two or three novels.

Hey, are you in Ithaca now?

[dickmalone]

No, I'm still in Syracuse. My friend's going to Cornell next year and so she stayed with us this weekend while trying to find an apartment in Ithaca. I'll be down in Ithaca a lot come August, though.

[pot80]

You should maybe start on writing your novel now.

[dickmalone]

Why's that?

[pot80]

It's timely! And really, why not?

[dickmalone]

Oh, I thought you were saying that I better get in now, before everyone writes one! I am considering it...

[abby_mcdonald]

Don't read that, read allthesadyounggossipgirls.tumblr.com instead. Much more rewarding :)

[dickmalone]

I know! So good!