Silverblatt was a very clever and conscientious interviewer. What diminishes his achievement into something approaching insignificance is the weakness of American literature in the last 60 years. Culture is cyclical everywhere. American literature had two periods of general strength: 1830-65, 1925-65. A few greats fall mostly outside of those periods, like Henry James, Cormac McCarthy, A.R. Ammons. Not only is ours a weak period, it has grown weaker as time has passed. Ammons and McCarthy are now dead--and their best work is now a generation or more behind us.
Excellent stuff!
Long live Silverblatt!!!
What a great interview with the fantastic reader and host Michael Silverblatt. Thank you so much for posting this conversation.
You are my mentor Michael. I hope we meet some day.
Just the best
Silverblatt was a very clever and conscientious interviewer. What diminishes his achievement into something approaching insignificance is the weakness of American literature in the last 60 years. Culture is cyclical everywhere. American literature had two periods of general strength: 1830-65, 1925-65. A few greats fall mostly outside of those periods, like Henry James, Cormac McCarthy, A.R. Ammons.
Not only is ours a weak period, it has grown weaker as time has passed. Ammons and McCarthy are now dead--and their best work is now a generation or more behind us.
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