Washington Post Book World, postscript
I finally got a chance to look at yesterday’s Style section, and once again, there is a new development vis-a–vis the reordering of the Book World universe. Michael Dirda’s reviews are now slated to appear every Thursday in Style. This is something to look forward to, for sure. Michael Dirda’s writings show him to be a passionate book lover as well as – dare I say it – a true intellectual.
The title reviewed by Dirda yesterday is The Night of the Hunter: A Biography of a Film by Jeffrey Couchman. The publisher is Northwestern University; one is reminded that the university presses provide us with some of the best in nonfiction being published today. The Night of The Hunter is a film I’ve known about for some time but never seen – at least, until now. (Howard County Library owns this DVD.)
**************************************************************
Joseph O'Neill
This same Style section brings the welcome news that Joseph O’Neill has won the 2009 PEN/Faulkner fiction award for Netherland, a novel that I greatly enjoyed. I’ve long appreciated the Post’s generous coverage of literary awards (although a few more articles about genre fiction awards, such as the Edgars, would be appreciated even more).
Back to Michael Dirda’s review: it begins on the front page of Style and is continued inside. Below the column on the front page, we are informed about “Dirda’s New Home” as follows: “Today, Michael Dirda’s weekly book review moves to Style. Look for his reviews of literary nonfiction and fiction in this section every Thursday.” Note the specificity of “literary nonfiction.” Alas, Mr. Dirda will have to put away those Chilton manuals and get down to serious (literary) business!
Maybe the collectible Chilton books should be reviewed for delightful covers! As for the Henry Adams, it’s the most serious nonfiction book I could think of off the top of my head. I’ve tried to read it several times and not succeeded, alas.
Books to the Ceiling 
Nan said,
March 6, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Just the name of the movie gives me shudders. One of the scariest I ever saw when I was little.