December 6, 2011 Bulletin The Paris Review Auction—Now Live! By The Paris Review They say it’s better to give than to receive, but by bidding in the Paris Review Auction, you can do both! This year’s auction features extraordinary feasts, luxurious excursions, rare first editions, and one-of-a-kind artwork, as well as book discussions with Paris Review editors, naming opportunities for novel characters, and much more. It’s a chance to be a part of our rich history—and pamper yourself or someone special in the bargain. And a holiday bonus: all proceeds support America’s premiere literary magazine. (That’s us, by the way.) To view and bid on these and other exclusive items click here. Auction ends December 11.
November 30, 2011 Bulletin On the Shelf By Deirdre Foley-Mendelssohn A cultural news roundup. “His innate humility counters his naked ambition, his earnest sentimentality complements the company’s ironic capering, and the shy reediness of his singing voice strengthens the appeal of lyrics steeled with resolution.” On Kermit the Frog. Long-lost Kerouac. Long-lost Brontë. Long-lost Walt Disney, in pictures. The lost art of titles. “You better get fitted for a black eyepatch in case one of yours gets gouged out by a bushy-haired stranger in a dimly lit parking lot. How fast can you learn Braille?” Cruel rejection letters. Judy Blume: “I would cry when the rejections came in—the first couple of times, anyway—and I would go to sleep feeling down, but I would wake up in the morning optimistic and saying, ‘Well, maybe they didn’t like that one, but wait till they see what I’m going to do next.’” Miranda July sets up shop in SoHo. Pippa instructs on how to be the perfect party hostess. Margaret Atwood draws! Obama pushes books! Ray Bradbury relents!
November 23, 2011 Bulletin The Smartest Gifts of the Season By The Paris Review This year The Paris Review has the perfect present for anyone you know—and that little something for yourself too! Beloved by writers and artists for more than a century, the iconic Moleskine notebook has paired up with The Paris Review for the ultimate stocking stuffer. Embossed with The Paris Review’s logo and featuring a Dorothy Parker quote from her 1956 interview, it’s already on the wish list of everyone at 62 White Street. Kaweco, one of the world’s oldest pen companies, created the Sport fountain pen in the 1920s for “ladies, officers and sportsmen,” but we use our special Paris Review Sport pen for grocery lists. It’s tiny and compact, but when uncapped, it’s the perfect length for writing. Takes a standard cartridge. We can’t stop awwwing over these adorable onesies, made of 100% cotton and printed with a hand-written Paris Review logo. For slightly older friends, choose from toddler and youth tees in a range of vibrant colors. Subscribe now, or give the gift of The Paris Review, to scoop up this season’s savviest goodies!
November 21, 2011 Bulletin The Winter Issue: Naughty and Nice By The Paris Review The Paris Review sends you holiday cheer—and our Winter issue! Naughty or nice, it’s got something for everyone: a portfolio of women by women, curated by our art editor, Charlotte Strick; fiction by Clarice Lispector, Paul Murray, and Adam Wilson; the English-language debut of French literary sensation Valérie Mréjen; and the conclusion of Roberto Bolaño’s lost novel The Third Reich, with original illustrations by Leanne Shapton. The Winter issue also contains long-awaited interviews with— Jeffrey Eugenides: I tell my students that when you write, you should pretend you’re writing the best letter you ever wrote to the smartest friend you have. That way, you’ll never dumb things down. You won’t have to explain things that don’t need explaining. You’ll assume an intimacy and a natural shorthand, which is good because readers are smart and don’t wish to be condescended to. and Alan Hollinghurst: I was very excited by the idea of telling truths that hadn’t been told before and breaking down literary categories. Descriptions of gay sexual behavior had until then tended to be restricted to pornography, and the presence of gay lives in fiction had been scant. So I had the great fortune of being given this relatively unexplored territory. Plus … poems by David Wagoner, Jonathan Galassi, Dorothea Lasky, Ange Mlinko, Gottfried Benn, and Rowan Ricardo Phillips. Subscribe now!
November 17, 2011 Bulletin Congratulations to Jesmyn Ward By The Paris Review The Paris Review congratulates Jesmyn Ward, whose novel Salvage the Bones won the National Book Award last night. We spoke with Ward in August about Southern rappers, Medea, Hurricane Katrina—and the book that brings them together.
November 16, 2011 Bulletin On the Shelf By Sadie Stein A cultural news roundup. Winners of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards. Stephen King helps heat Maine. The real Tintin! The X-Men archive goes to Columbia. Penguin takes the self-publishing leap. The LA Times pubs its first e-book. Meanwhile, authors charge that the Kindle library is “boldly breaching its contracts.” In brick-and-mortar news, Ann Patchett opens a bookstore. Wordsworth House (#4) opens in the Lake District. Salman Rushdie fights Facebook, and wins. Writers restock the OWS Library. Speaking of public libraries … RIP legendary publisher Morris Philipson. “We’ve just lost the Norman Rockwell of comic strips.” Jane Austen … murdered?