Thursday, April 05, 2007

 
jesus! read this interview/book review. It is for Dana Vachon's "mergers and acquisitions." It is apparently a wall street satire by a former banker. Is it a coincidence or does the back story sound a lot like marisha pessl's backstory as a consultant for pricewaterhousecoopers. (marisha pessl wrote "special topics in calamity physics"). To say nothing of old favorites Nick McDonnelll and Kavya Vishwanathan. Can I turn over a rock without finding a young, pretty, privileged, and "accomplished" author underneath? Am I a numerologist in the sense of the movie "pi" where I see a trend because I am looking for it? or is there really something going on here about trying to grab a generation Y novelist from the young, urban, well-connected northeast set? On aesthetic grounds, I suppose I must exempt ms Pessl to some degree because her novel is actually supposed to be pretty good. but seriously, what is going on? I see there being three alternate explanations.

1. the elitist's theory--the finest writing is being done by the smartest and most motivated people who respresent a functioning meritocratic overclass of bankers and ivy leaguers.
2. the conspiracy theorist's theory--Our publication system is utterly corrupt and runs on a closed system of connections.
3. the media bias theory--upper class young authors make good interviews of upper class media outlets (which I tend to read disproportionately).

Through the first few of these examples, I was very up-front about the fact that jealousy was near the surface of my displeasure. but i think my displeasure at this development no longer stems from my desire to be these authors as from my alarm at the repetitiveness of the pattern. I always thought I was supposed to grow out of populist illusions of "the establishment" not into them.

Comments:
It's mostly #2. But #2 has developed because nobody buys books anymore. The market is dead. So they don't go around just publishing good books that they like. And since it's so un-viable as a means of financial support, writing remains open to those who can afford it.

And yes, Pessl's book was supposed to be really good though I haven't read it yet.

~the rich writer girl living in the heartland with other rich writer people
 
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