Curtis White has written a novel called America's Magic Mountain, a recasting of Mann's in (you'll never guess) America. The protagonist is still named Hans Castorp. But this is outrageous: no one could possibly be ordinary ("unassuming", as White has it) if he grew up in downstate Illinois with the name "Hans Castorp".
(I received this book, along with Hugh Kenner's Counterfeiters, Harry Mathews' Cigarettes, Ernst Gombrich's A Little History of the World (for some reason) and a few other less immediately interesting books in the mail today, the same day I also got the third issue of n+1. When the hell am I going to read these?—at least the books were kostenlos. Looking about me I see several books checked out of the library, presumably to remind me to check them out again next quarter and continue not reading them. Large portions of my library could be replaced, Time out of Joint–style, with slips of paper saying "book" and it wouldn't make, I suspect, the least difference to me.)
Even though I probably won't read Michael Powell's autobiography for several years, by owning it I will at least be assured access to a copy when I do get around to it, thereby circumventing those communist librarians. They might also be lesbians.
Posted by: James | October 21, 2005 at 02:00 AM
Whenever I have a little money in my pocket, I'll go into book-buying jags and pick up everything by some given author. So then I'm not ignoring books, I'm ignoring a writer—it's like inviting a ghost into my living room.
How's your arm?
Posted by: Kriston | October 21, 2005 at 07:33 AM
I wouldn't want to circumvent a commie lesbian librarian, personally. Who knows what hotness I might thereby forego experiencing, or even undergoing?
My arm is ok—I'n in a forearm cast that restrains my thumb but not my fingers, so I can bend at the elbow and perform an activity that somewhat resembles typing with both hands.
Posted by: ben wolfson | October 21, 2005 at 05:03 PM
Can you write a program which can tell me when you're able to play Soul Calibur again?
Posted by: dave zacuto | October 21, 2005 at 08:01 PM
No, but I can write one to tell you when to buy eggs or milk.
Posted by: ben wolfson | October 21, 2005 at 08:32 PM
Besides, you always beat me anyway.
Posted by: ben wolfson | October 21, 2005 at 08:33 PM
n+1 #3 is pretty good
Posted by: dave zacuto | October 22, 2005 at 02:14 PM