Stuff on the web today

Ed: On her must-read blog today Sarah Weinman linked to a piece about a "fab" novel sale for considerable dough. Nobody is ever going to stop publishers (or any of us for that matter) from being foolish. By my God can't somebody rein in the freaking publicity department once in a while. Listen to this hoo-hah:

"27-year-old Marisha Pessl's SPECIAL TOPICS IN CALAMITY PHYSICS, the story of a young woman and her professor father, pitched as "Nabokovian in scope and style," with a "Hitchcockian and Donna Tarttish narrative" and "Jonathan Franzen and Lorrie Moore-type metaphors," to Carole DeSanti at Viking, in a major deal, at auction, by Susan Golomb at the Susan Golomb Agency (NA). UK rights to Viking UK, in a significant deal, in a pre-empt; Dutch rights to Ambos/Anthos, in a very nice deal, in a pre-empt."

Ed: I do believe that is the first and last time we will ever see Nabakov and Hitchcock's name in the same sentence. Not to mention--God forbid--Hitch and Johnathan Franzen.

At least Marisha has the decency to be damned good looking.
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Two of you wrote me off line about my reference to Tom Gifford at all, wanting to know more. Unfortunately, my impression of him was formed by three or four phone calls and by talking to his grand good friend (and fine writer) Robert Byrne. Because I'm such a brown shoes kind of guy, I always like to listen to people who can take a cloudy day and by sheer force of cosmic willand turn it into a sunny, jolly party.

When Tom died Bob wrote a Mystery Scene piece about him. Tom was all classic cars and classic women and classic affairs and classic style. I don't envy that--I don't have it in me--but it's sure fun to watch. I think of Tom--in addition to being a first class writer--in the way I think of Jackie Gleason packing that long long train filled with babes, booze and buddies and heading from NYC to Miami. And curiously enough I sense the same dark Mick melancholy in each of them too.m