quick Q (fwd)

[Paul Mackin]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 15:04:53 -0800 (PST)
From: Ben Sayre <sayreben at yahoo.com>
To: Paul Mackin <pmackin at clark.net>
Subject: Re: quick Q



--- Paul Mackin <pmackin at clark.net> wrote:

> I never heard Vidal say GR was immoral. He did say
> things to the
> effect that Pynchon generates more heat than light
> and panders to the
> IMmortal longings of youth. (this would be the youth
> of 25 years ago
> of course) Vidal is on record as being against
> personal immortality. Finds
> the idea of continuing on forever appalling. Anyway
> the place where he
> wrote this is in a NY Rev of Books and the article
> is called
> "American Plastic: The Matter of Fiction." It's the
> July 15, 1976, issue.
> (the mag has gone on line as far as more recent
> issues are concerned but
> possibly not this far back as yet)

"Immortal" eh?  Thank you.  I'll track down the
article and have a look.

In light of that one thing that seems a bit out of
place is all the fuss around these parts when the
announcements came about the best 100 books of the
century and GR was slighted.  I remember some of you
people insinuating that part of the explanation was
that Mr. Vidal was on the Committee in Charge and this
spelled doom because he is against GR.  So this was on
the grounds that GR panders to a youthful longing for
immortality?  He made a stand on thematic grounds?  At
first glance it doesn't even make sense b/c don't
people long for immortality more when they get old? 
Kids often operate as if they ARE immortal, something
which romantic types find admirable (and I for one
think there is a kind of romantic miasma in mr. p's
books...  that dude ain't just some morbid,
browbeating egghead).  But whatever.  I'll take a look
and try to sort things out.

Another Q while I'm on:  I recently moved to LA (land
of ten million cars, the invisible poor, and movie
stars), and I'm wondering what's a good library if I
have to just choose one?  Do they even have public
libraries here or should I just buy a card at UCLA?  I
want someplace with a serious periodical section, more
than just those fluffy mags with the table of contents
on page 15 or something.

Over and out,

Ben
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Thousands of Stores.  Millions of Products.  All in one place.
Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com