THE VIEW FROM THE WEST - VOL. 1

Lauren Cerand gave me the idea for this. We were talking recently. The subject turned to publishing. Specifically, it turned to “The Future of Publishing,” as most conversations in BookWorld tend to turn these days when “where to procure cyanide tablets” isn’t the main point of focus. From there we started talking about The Nervous Breakdown and its humble origins out here in The West—-Los Angeles, to be exact—-a town which, to my great surprise, has been my home for the past ten years.

Lauren suggested that I write a regular column documenting American literary culture from a Western perspective. I’m taking her up on it. This is the first installment.

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CHART OF THE DAY

THOUGHTS THAT MAKE YOU THINK

Conservatives of today vs. conservatives of yesterday: 

“A nuclear-free world has been a 60-year dream of the Left, just like socialized health-care.” - Rudy Giuliani, NRO, 2010.

“A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. And no matter how great the obstacles may seem, we must never stop our efforts to reduce the weapons of war. We must never stop at all until we see the day when nuclear arms have been banished from the face of this Earth.” - Ronald Reagan, 1984, in China.

And then this thought from Jonathan Chait at The New Republic.

Generally speaking, social policy has grown less restrictive throughout American history. People are are currently 70 years old are far more liberal on, say, the question of women’s suffrage than were people fifty years their senior. But women’s suffrage is settled fact, and no longer exerts any electoral impact. Several decades from now, we may well be looking at an even more liberal or left-wing social issue landscape. Today’s young voters are much less freaked out about an African-American president than are today’s old voters. But what about fifty years from now when the Democrats have nominated a transgendered Presidential candidate?

(With thanks to The Daily Dish for pointing the way.)

HAPPY EASTER

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

During one brief respite from work this past weekend, my wife and I snuck away to the movie theater to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

It’s a satisfying—-if slightly over-long—-Swedish thriller. 

Swedish thriller.

It’s a curious film in some ways. 

Among other things, there’s a lot of raping in it.

Lots of Nazis and raping.

An unusual amount. 

Like, three out of four men in the film are either Nazis and/or rapists. 

And possibly murderers. 

My wife and I both noted that the rape scenes were unusually long. 

We couldn’t help but think that an American-made film would’ve had shorter rape scenes.

Instead, there were graphic, 7-minute-long rape scenes, and things of that nature.

It’s an edgy movie. 

Entertaining. 

A bit implausible, story-wise.

It is based, of course, on the bestselling novel by the late Stieg Larsson.

In its native Swedish tongue, the book and its film adaptation are known by this title:  Män som hatar kvinnor.

Translation:  Men Who Hate Women.

So American publishing executives presumably liked the book and saw its commercial potential, but then decided that Men Who Hate Women was a title that did not lend itself to big sales. 

So instead they called it The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Lisbeth Salander, the heroine of the story, is a sexy (and sexually ambiguous) young woman with a tortured soul.  

She is played with convincing brio by an actress named Noomi Rapace. 

Lisbeth has a sexy dragon tattoo on her back.  

Also:  She is repeatedly abused by men who hate women. 

I haven’t read the book yet.

I sort of want to now, just to see what all the fuss is about.

These books have been wildly successful, and they paint a portrait of Swedish culture that is in many ways strangely menacing, which strikes me as a little odd. 

But maybe not that odd.

CAMERA SHY

Got up early.

Was still dark outside.

Sunrise.

Went for hike.

Brought camera.

Thought:  I should take pictures.

Have had it in my head lately that I should take at least one photo a day.

Get into photography more.

So I bring the camera.

I’m walking.

I see some graffiti. 

It says:  EAT THE RICH.

I pull out my camera.

But the battery is dead.

I think to myself:  Goddammit.

**

I get home an hour later.

I charge the battery a bit.

I run up to the grocery store on the corner to get some provisions.

I bring the camera.

Thinking to myself:  I’ll take some photos inside the grocery store.  Wouldn’t that be interesting?

But then I get self-conscious.

I feel strange.

I can’t bring myself to pull out the camera and start taking pictures in the grocery store.

I’m worried about what people might think.

I see a security guard in the store.

I feel like he’s casing me.

(He’s not.)

I’ve got this camera in my pocket.

I keep thinking:  Just take it out.  Just take some pictures.

I decide I’ll walk to the soup aisle.

I’ll take some photos of some Campbell’s soup cans. 

Wouldn’t that be funny?

But there’s an old lady standing in front of the Campbell’s soup cans, and I can’t bring myself to do it. 

Having the camera on my person was stressful.

Trying to decide what to shoot. 

It was too much. 

Eventually I left the store.

Never did take a single photo.

Maybe tomorrow.