tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8699996156051897761.post8019342175441433011..comments2023-10-25T17:50:35.550-04:00Comments on Hipsters Are Boring: Eggers On His FaceKaitlyn Kochanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04786479100009809264noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8699996156051897761.post-25832223648829979512010-06-22T13:23:24.638-04:002010-06-22T13:23:24.638-04:00God I wish I had time to read things that weren...God I wish I had time to read things that weren't in political journals. Suffice to say, I haven't read Foer either, though I did see the film of Everything is Illuminated, which was simply excellent. One day I'll receive tenure, then I'll start reading (things irrelevant to my job) again.onegiantpandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03771146764371857341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8699996156051897761.post-28810797696405365912010-06-17T11:36:47.355-04:002010-06-17T11:36:47.355-04:00I hadn't connected Dave Eggers with the 826 Va...I hadn't connected Dave Eggers with the 826 Valencia project... or more like, I heard of the 826 project before I had any idea who Dave Eggers was, so there was no connection to make. Agreed: 826 Valencia is inspiring and awesome.<br /><br />I have only read one book by Dave Eggers, and that is his recent novelization of the <i>Where The Wild Things Are</i> movie. There were things about it that I <i>loved</i>, but the ending, frankly, blew (no closure, it just... stopped) and I agree with your critique of his writing as incredibly needy. It worked for <i>Wild Things</i>, because Max is eight years old and the whole reason he goes to the island and meets the wild things in the first place is due to his eight-year-old intense neediness, but I can't imagine reading a book about adults with the same neediness. It was an <i>exhausting</i> read.Leithhttp://leithal.livejournal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8699996156051897761.post-48131162163592050432010-06-16T11:43:26.468-04:002010-06-16T11:43:26.468-04:00It's the same trap that Jonathan Safran Foer f...It's the same trap that Jonathan Safran Foer falls into, for me: on first glance, the writing is lovely and poetic and truthful and amazing. But, as I slog through the contents of the actual book, it stop being lovely and amazing and starts becoming oppressive. His writing starts begging from the reader - at least, this is the impression I get - for delighted responses and chuckles of recognition. I hate when a book asks me to do that. <br /><br />And, may I please beg you to read some DFW? His essay require zero bravery and are spectacularly entertaining.Kaitlyn Kochanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04786479100009809264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8699996156051897761.post-63929598807135799862010-06-16T03:25:58.157-04:002010-06-16T03:25:58.157-04:00*You
Goddammit.*You<br /><br />Goddammit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8699996156051897761.post-7649131977410123172010-06-16T03:24:25.198-04:002010-06-16T03:24:25.198-04:00I probably couldn't disagree with your more in...I probably couldn't disagree with your more in terms of your judgement of the quality of Eggers' output - A Heartbreaking Work is the best thing I've read since I discovered Atwood, though admittedly I've still not braved Foster Wallace (AND A BILLION OTHER AWESOME WRITERS) - but your argument is a pretty good one.<br /><br />I think his writing's needy too, but actually I find it endearing and oddly beautiful - Eggers doesn't strike me as a particularly damaged human being (and I heard him speak for a couple of hours at the Melbourne Writer's Fest a few years back, where he seemed remarkably more comfortable than I'd been expecting), but nor do I find his writing to be emotionally undeveloped or juvenile; I find it to be profound and insightful in a rather unique way. But I might just be into striving :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com