Literary Critic Leaves New Republic for New Yorker

[rich]

He just can't stomach the fact that in Pynchon's works  V. and the V-2
rocket are the most fleshed out (hehe) characters

rich

On 8/8/07, Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Occasional reviewer, fine reader, realist John Updike, does magical and
> other kinds of fantastic literature, justice in his essays-reviews.
>
>
> rich <richard.romeo at gmail.com> wrote:
> He'll fit fine at the New Yorker seeing as they only publish those realist
> writers he so loves
>
> rich
>
>
> On 8/8/07, Ya Sam <takoitov at hotmail.com> wrote:
> > James Wood, a senior editor at The New Republic, where he has been the
> > literary critic for the past 12 years, is leaving to become a staff writer
> > at The New Yorker.
> >
> > The English-born Mr. Wood, who was appointed chief literary critic of The
> > Guardian of London in 1992 when he was just 26, moved to The New Republic
> in
> > 1995. At The New Yorker, he will be one of several staffers who write
> about
> > books.
> >
> > In some literary circles, Mr. Wood has been described as a brutal critic
> who
> > has debunked many of the country's most admired writers, including Don
> > DeLillo, Toni Morrison and Thomas Pynchon. Others regard him as one of the
> > most respected critics of his generation.
> >
> > He famously coined a phrase to describe what he abhors in modern fiction:
> > "hysterical realism," which refers to a style of writing that features
> > rampant caricature, absurd plots and prose and hyper references to popular
> > culture combined with didactic social commentary.
> >
> > "Because James is so deeply intelligent and because the world of fiction
> and
> > the world of ideas mean so much to him, he is a critic with passionate
> > views," David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, wrote in an e-mail
> message.
> > "But in no way is he a slam artist, an agenda keeper. He is also capable
> of
> > passionate praise."
> >
> > Leon Wieseltier, literary editor at The New Republic, said that "The New
> > Republic plays many significant roles in American culture, and one of them
> > is to find and to develop writers with whom The New Yorker can eventually
> > staff itself."
> >
> >
> >
> >
> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/07/books/09wood.html?ref=books
> >
> >
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