James Metcalf on the fictionality of the latest archaeological page-turners
Stephen Puddicombe looks at the unusual appeal of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot
Ciaran Rafferty investigates the science of book classification
A not so Good Friday for James Frey?
As a master of stirring up controversy, James Frey the “bad boy” of the American literary world, has chosen to publish his latest book through an art gallery. The New York Gagosian gallery will be publishing only 10,000 copies of The Final Testament of the Holy Bible but Frey will also be making his work available as an e-book, ready for iPads, Kindles etc. Bypassing the traditional route of publishing houses, Frey has justified his decision by stating that "If controversy does arise, it'll be much easier for me to deal with as a self-publisher because I haven't got any shareholders to be beholden to. I'll just ignore it.”
The novel itself is described as the third volume of the Bible, revolving around the character of Ben Jones who is also the Messiah (aka God). Set in the Bronx, Frey has portrayed Ben as always drinking, taking drugs and sleeping with prostitutes (as well as men). He’s clearly going for the shock factor, but here at The Yorker Culture section, we can’t help thinking that the Christian community is an easy one to shock, and perhaps a too obvious choice. When we heard that the release date would be Good Friday, we put our heads in our hands. Here we go again.
Self-publishing lampposts in the Big Apple
Lampposts across New York have had something rather more exciting than the usual graffiti or posters on them recently, as an anonymous author has chosen to self-publish their novel a page at a time on them. The novel entitled Holy Crap has been posted all around East Village in Manhattan, helpfully numbered and with handy directions to the next page. The narrator appears to be a woman who has just given birth and the novel looks set to turn out as a sinister detective story. This unusual method of publishing has certainly got people talking, and in an age where the digital revolution is changing the way we publish, innovative exposure may prove very beneficial for the anonymous author. Whether they can make any money from it is another question.
The (Green) Angel of the North?
Plans for Antony Gormley’s The Angel of the North monument to be illuminated green for this year’s St Patrick’s Day have been abandoned. The Gateshead attraction looked set to join other UK landmarks such as the London Eye and Nelson’s monument in Edinburgh in Tourism Ireland’s plan to change their colours in tribute to Ireland’s patron saint, St Patrick. Pictures of the green angel were published online after a “dress rehearsal” but the monument’s creator Antony Gormley saw them and quickly put a stop to the plans. In his original contract with Gateshead council in 1994, Gormley expressively forbade lighting to the angel, as he did not want it to be exploited for advertising means. Although Gormley is a fan of both St Patrick’s Day and its celebrations, he has stuck by his original decision claiming that he never had any wish or plans for it to be illuminated.
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