Patrick Brown, Vroman's Bookstore Webmaster, likes his coffee black. He doesn't think American literature sucks. And is hopeful about a Vroman's, Monrovia opening next year. As we anticipate tomorrow's Nobel Prize in Literature announcement, Patrick spoke candidly to Pasadena: Center of the Universe about the prize's anti-American taint, his book picks, and more.
Q: If all goes as planned, how soon will Old Town Monrovia have its own Vroman’s? Are other cities courting you, wanting their own Vroman’s too?
A: We’re still in negotiations, but if the deal goes through, we would be opening in August 2009. We’re definitely excited about the city of Monrovia and what we could do there. To my knowledge, we are not in discussion with any other cities about expansion.
Q: The Nobel Literature chief thinks American literature sucks. How do you respond?
A: As I said on the Vroman’s blog a few days ago, I think there’s some kernel of truth there. Not that American literature sucks – far from it – but when Horace Engdahl, the Nobel Secretary General, says that we don’t translate enough, he’s right. Most Americans, in my experience, read very little literature in translation. I’m guilty of it, and I consider myself a well-read person and somebody who’s curious about the world abroad.
I do think American literature is at an incredible place at the moment, where we have veteran writers like Philip Roth, Don DeLillo, Lorrie Moore, Joan Didion, Thomas Pynchon, and others sharing space with relative newcomers like Junot Diaz, Jonathan Franzen, Kate Christensen, Edward P. Jones, George Saunders, and a new generation of adventurous, talented writers. It’s a diverse group of authors right now, reflecting a wide range of viewpoints. There doesn’t seem to be one type of Great American Novel anymore, and I think that diversity is really driving American literature at the moment and deserves to be recognized.I thought Adam Kirsch, writing for Slate.com, hit the nail on the head when he said that the Nobel Prize has a distinctly anti-American taint to it, honoring American authors rarely and then only when they confirm European views of Americans as anti-intellectual or rustic. It seems to me to be a reaction to American cultural hegemony abroad, not unlike foreign countries putting limits on the number of American films that can be screened each year.
Q: Vroman’s has staff picks of favorite books. What are their (or your) picks for the Nobel Prize in Literature?
A: Well, we know it won’t be an American! As I wrote on the blog last week, picking the Nobel Prize seems incredibly difficult, much harder than picking the likely nominees for awards like the National Book Award or the Booker Prize (The excellent book blog The Millions has been making guesses about the NBA, but they haven’t tried with the Nobel, and I think with good reason). It’s a little strange, since the Nobel Prize is typically a sort of lifetime achievement award, and they tend to favor literature with a political bent. As such, I’ll guess that it’s Salman Rushdie’s year. He won the Booker of Bookers recently, and with the controversy surrounding the publication of the Jewel of Medina, he’s back in the news. I doubt any of that influences the Nobel Committee’s decision, but it influenced my guess. Someone I’d like to see honored would be Margaret Atwood. It won’t happen this year, but I think it should eventually. I suppose the smart money would be on an obscure Chinese poet, but unfortunately, I’m doubly ignorant when it comes to foreign poetry.
Q: How do you like your coffee?
A: Finally, a question I know the answer to. Black, no sugar, and in incredibly large quantities.
Q: If all goes as planned, how soon will Old Town Monrovia have its own Vroman’s? Are other cities courting you, wanting their own Vroman’s too?
A: We’re still in negotiations, but if the deal goes through, we would be opening in August 2009. We’re definitely excited about the city of Monrovia and what we could do there. To my knowledge, we are not in discussion with any other cities about expansion.
Q: The Nobel Literature chief thinks American literature sucks. How do you respond?
A: As I said on the Vroman’s blog a few days ago, I think there’s some kernel of truth there. Not that American literature sucks – far from it – but when Horace Engdahl, the Nobel Secretary General, says that we don’t translate enough, he’s right. Most Americans, in my experience, read very little literature in translation. I’m guilty of it, and I consider myself a well-read person and somebody who’s curious about the world abroad.
I do think American literature is at an incredible place at the moment, where we have veteran writers like Philip Roth, Don DeLillo, Lorrie Moore, Joan Didion, Thomas Pynchon, and others sharing space with relative newcomers like Junot Diaz, Jonathan Franzen, Kate Christensen, Edward P. Jones, George Saunders, and a new generation of adventurous, talented writers. It’s a diverse group of authors right now, reflecting a wide range of viewpoints. There doesn’t seem to be one type of Great American Novel anymore, and I think that diversity is really driving American literature at the moment and deserves to be recognized.I thought Adam Kirsch, writing for Slate.com, hit the nail on the head when he said that the Nobel Prize has a distinctly anti-American taint to it, honoring American authors rarely and then only when they confirm European views of Americans as anti-intellectual or rustic. It seems to me to be a reaction to American cultural hegemony abroad, not unlike foreign countries putting limits on the number of American films that can be screened each year.
Q: Vroman’s has staff picks of favorite books. What are their (or your) picks for the Nobel Prize in Literature?
A: Well, we know it won’t be an American! As I wrote on the blog last week, picking the Nobel Prize seems incredibly difficult, much harder than picking the likely nominees for awards like the National Book Award or the Booker Prize (The excellent book blog The Millions has been making guesses about the NBA, but they haven’t tried with the Nobel, and I think with good reason). It’s a little strange, since the Nobel Prize is typically a sort of lifetime achievement award, and they tend to favor literature with a political bent. As such, I’ll guess that it’s Salman Rushdie’s year. He won the Booker of Bookers recently, and with the controversy surrounding the publication of the Jewel of Medina, he’s back in the news. I doubt any of that influences the Nobel Committee’s decision, but it influenced my guess. Someone I’d like to see honored would be Margaret Atwood. It won’t happen this year, but I think it should eventually. I suppose the smart money would be on an obscure Chinese poet, but unfortunately, I’m doubly ignorant when it comes to foreign poetry.
Q: How do you like your coffee?
A: Finally, a question I know the answer to. Black, no sugar, and in incredibly large quantities.
Monica
No comments:
Post a Comment