Distribution Automatique

Tuesday, April 22

Are we really supposed to pretend that we don't care about publishing, about being read and listened to, about having a job we're not completely alienated from, about desiring creature comforts and the means to raise a family? Are we really expected to wear a corset of puritanical hypocrisy under our nouveau bohemian straitjackets? Yet of course I'm extremely sensitive to charges of selling out, as I'm extremely sensitive to most charges, even trumped-up ones—I
Josh Corey

John Erhardt praised this piece on his blog so I just read it. Gee, Josh, I wish you had thought about these issues and given me the same permission when you were reviewing my book "Theoretical Objects" on your blog awhile back. You kind of tore into me since I happened to write a lot about recognition and response and the writer's career in my book. Of course, in your case you've been writing for a few years, at most. For me it's been over 30. But I guess you felt I didn't deserve to focus a bit on these issues so much in my book. You also seemed to have bypassed the tone in my book which was meant to be at least ironic or sarcastic or hopefully funny. Also, in your review, you hardly mentioned the many other topics i wrote about in this book of over 140 pages. Still, I appreciated very much your attention to my book on your blog, even if it was a homework assignment. Anyway, you compared me to Emerson and I appreciated that!