Tandeta: Fitzgerald, Jones, Coupland, Banville, DBC Pierre, New Directions
F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s ‘Babylon Revisited’ is a perfect tale for the times we live in / Death to February, two questions for Shane Jones / Douglas Coupland on Marshall McLuhan / Fictional novels starring non-fictional authors / Benjamin Black vs. John Banville [via @seanjcostello] / Vernon God Little at the Young Vic / New Directions […]
Fall From Grace
Fergie is the fallen hero, the centre of Harris’ turmoil and disappointment. He is self-aware enough to pick up the clich é running through all this, that of the ‘fallen hero’ but is also quick enough to give the detail of this specific case. As he says of his former hero, “…you’d have thought that Fergie had racked up sufficient credit to remain one forever.” But he hadn’t. How could he have? Choosing to follow Utd is an existential choice that signals belief in certain inviolate values. To throw away those values, to pervert them, is to violate the very spirit motivating that choice. It was Liverpool boss Bill Shankley who said something like, “People think football is as important as life and death. They’re wrong. It’s more important than that.” You get the point.
Richard Marshall on Daniel Harris‘ On the Road: A Journey Through a Season.