Tuesday, September 27, 2005

More True than Ever

Steve Kostecke in the Introduction to Slush Pile #4:

"--how the buffoons of today's American lit world operate. They anonymously post reviews of praise for themselves and their friends; they anonymously attack the ULA, which represents a lit movement based on above-the-boards straight talk; and the most inexcusable part of all, these established writers themselves end up being the ones guilty of committing the low acts that they accuse the ULA of committing! How's that for sheer bullshit? Then the spin comes, the anonymous postings disappear, and Eggers pleads to the NYTimes: 'I just tried to bring back some balance.'"

(Eggers and his friends have 1,000 times more money, resources, and access in this society than we do. They need to balance US??)

1 comment:

King Wenclas said...

(I'm still getting e-mails about this matter, which I was willing to drop.I want to reiterate that there's not a shred of evidence showing the letter in question came from me-- or from anyone. Did it indeed come from HarperCollins? maybe it's time we began questioning them.
What's real is that the letter should never have been published, especially after I had issued a denial beforehand. Publishing it was malicious behavior on the part of all concerned.
I simply object to being associated with a letter I didn't author. Is this not understandable?
It seems to me that Handler and his friends imagined this letter was the kind of thing the ULA would do. The idea of operating in the open, of taking responsibility for one's actions-- as we've done from the beginning, by signing our Rick Moody Protest, and acting publicly with our protests at every step after this-- is beyond-- is beyond their conception.
If I had authored the letter, I would've very loudly signed it-- John Hancock-style, the same way I signed our first protest and have signed every letter I've sent-- and would not have denied authorship of it when asked.
Again, why is this so hard to understand, when it's the way I've operated at all times?
Handler, Eggers, and friends would like to BE authentic rebels, instead of posturing rich guys owned body and soul by the corporate world. They don't understand that ours is a rebellion of honesty and truth, and always has been.