Coetzee and Literature Word from: Mordy

Right before Passover is the perfect time to evaluate the condition of the production of art in United States. It isn't? Too bad, I'm going for it anyway -

Coetzee, The Nation reports, had harsh words for the current art model - which he claims teaches people to write fiction, but not to understand it. In his own words:

Should we be worried that the graduating students are equipped to write novels and stories and plays for today's literary market but not well informed about the history of these forms or about what has been achieved in the forms in the past?

We should totally worry. It keeps me up nights. Actually, I'd be happy if Yeshiva U would offer some classes to teach how to write for today's literary market. Jake assures me that Coetzee is referring to MFA programs. Coetzee most recently wrote a brilliant review of "Memory of My Melancholy Whores" in NY Review of Books.

I say brilliant, because the review uses Marquez's new book (in mini size for ADD readers) to discuss literature in general - jumping from Marquez to Lolita to Cervantes. One can see in the early 2006 review the seeds of his opinion voiced in The Nation - clearly he is a man with a strong grasp of literary history. Contrast to another reviewer - Michiko Kakutani - who Ben Yagoda skewers in a recent Slate article.

Kakutani doesn't offer the stylistic flair, the wit, or the insight one gets from Kael and other first-rate critics; for her, the verdict is the only thing. One has the sense of her deciding roughly at Page 2 whether or not a book is worthy; reading the rest of it to gather evidence for her case; spending some quality time with the Thesaurus; and then taking a large blunt hammer and pounding the message home.

Though Passover may not be the ideal time to decide on the condition of literature, or to compare the merits of reviewers - it is a good time to think about liberating ourselves from the confines we have placed ourselves. Whether that be moral, intellectual, literary - breaking forth from comfortable writing - it's a good time to reflect. Genuflect - or whatnot. Personally, I'm going to write a ton of papers, work on my short fiction, and eat tons of Matzah.

Cheers!