Media
Studio A
During this live broadcast of Studio A from New York City, host Danielle Smith sits down with writers Stephen Cicirelli and Matthew Di Paoli for a conversation about their fiction writing. Stephen reads from his novel in progress and, along with Matthew, discusses topics such as inspiration, character development, point of view, and the tactical differences between novels and short stories.
Short Story Today
On episode 68 of the Short Story Today podcast, Stephen talks with host Jon DiSavino:
"New Jersey author Stephen Cicirelli has a penchant for philosophy--and it shows up in his stories in surprising ways. But there's nothing academic about them. They vibrate with energy, often weaving sorrow with humor. We read his story 'Quitting,' about an experiment in free will that goes awry."
The Latest
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Had some good clean intertextual fun at book club last night. We discussed both "Submission" by Michel Houellebecq and "À rebours" by JK Huysmans. The narrator of the former, a Huysmans scholar, is obsessed with À rebours. Throughout the novel, the narrator, Francois, comes more and more to resemble Des Esseintes, the main (and only) character in À rebours. I liked both novels. For a book without a plot (that reads kind of like the music chapters in American Psycho), À rebours had an interesting momentum to it. Huysmans's prose is just too much but in a good way.
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I hadn't read Goldstein before, but after reading this (published in 1983), I went and bought ALL of her fiction. This may be the best novel I've read in a decade! She's funny and erudite, and her characters are so complex. She's been compared to Richard Powers, who also writes what might be called Literature of Ideas. But I think Goldstein has a better sense of humor and, for me at least, was more enjoyable to read. If you're in the mood for a compelling and complicated narrator, I highly recommend Goldstein's debut novel.
I haven't read this since high school. I'm hoping it "hits different" in my middle age.