Uncategorized | March 16, 2004
Blurbs
Dust jacket blurbs are so notoriously general, unhelpful, and badly written that when one actually makes an aesthetic statement, I stop in a sort of amazement. Having worked in a used bookstore, I often judge books like a dog-show judge–I check for straight, white teeth and excellent hindquarters. On the back of Frederick Busch’s Don’t Tell Anyone, Ann Beattie praises Busch’s stories in part because “There are none of those all too common, boring characters-who-can’t-communicate in his fiction; instead, the characters are eloquent and even quite brilliant.” Of course, the real problem with all those inarticulate characters are that we are they. In moments of crisis, most, if not all of us, can’t articulate what we need or want to; indeed, the first story in Busch’s collection features a narrator working towards becoming articulate about a moment of crisis. (Read another of Busch’s stories here.)
This is, of course, a small fault on Beattie’s part, though I’d certainly be interested in an elaboration of what she means. In the long run, dust jacket blurbs have no real currency; established writers often request not to have blurbs. For those of you intrigued by the history of dust jackets (and, honestly, who among us is), there’s actually further reading on the subject. After all, a dust jacket can lead to questions about the culture of reading, as our own Anthony Varallo points out.
SEE THE ISSUE
SUGGESTED CONTENT
Poem of the Week
Jan 22 2024
“Grace” by Becca Klaver
This week’s Poem of the Week is “Grace” by Becca Klaver. Becca Klaver is the author of the poetry collections LA Liminal (Kore), Empire Wasted (Bloof), and Ready for the… read more
Poem of the Week
Jan 15 2024
“Ravens Flying” by Kai Carlson-Wee
This week’s Poem of the Week is “Ravens Flying” by Kai Carlson-Wee. Kai Carlson-Wee is the author of RAIL (BOA Editions, 2018). He received his MFA from the University of… read more
Poem of the Week
Jan 08 2024
“Collision of Light and Dark” by Allison C. Macy-Steines
This week’s Poem of the Week is “Collision of Light and Dark” by Allison C. Macy-Steines. Allison C. Macy-Steines writes both prose and poetry, and she is passionate about bending… read more