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Dirda on Books
Hosted by Michael Dirda
Washington Post Book World Senior Editor
Thursday, June 14, 2001; 2 p.m. EDT
Washington Post Book World Senior Editor Michael Dirda takes your questions and comments concerning literature, books and the joys of reading.
Dirda's name appears weekly in The Post's Book World section. If he's not reviewing a fat literary biography or an ambitious new novel, he's likely to be writing a lighthearted essay about the joys and burdens of living in a house filled with way too many books. Although he holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Cornell, Dirda is still smart enough to be an unabashed fan of "The Simpsons," noting that "the show's genius derives from its details." He also loves P.G. Wodehouse, intellectual history, children's books and locked-room mysteries – just the sort of range you'd expect from a Pulitzer Prize winner for distinguished criticism.
These days, Dirda says he spends inordinate amounts of time mourning his lost youth and daydreaming ("my only real pastime"). Otherwise he just reads books and writes about them, with occasional visits to secondhand bookstores in search of treasures. He claims that the happiest hours of his week are spent sitting in front of a computer working on his reviews and Readings columns. "Do not imagine that I regard my taste for literary artifacts as anything but shameless and vulgar," Dirda says, "I have sunk so low as to covet Edward Gorey coffee mugs. I yearn for a bust of Dante to place on a bookcase."
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Michael Dirda: Welcome to Dirda on Books! By now, most of you now the drill--questions come in, and I answer them as well as I"m able with my failing faculties, and sometimes ask for comments or reactions from the lurkers out there in cyberspace. Lately, we've been doing theme discussions, but this THursday we'll have a free for all. However, if anyone has a question or comment he or she has been longing to ask John Updike, this is your lucky day: I'll be conducting a public conversation with the writer later this evening and would be happy to add a good question or two to my list. So think Updike! And with that, let's get on with the show!
Arlington, Va.:
Last year I wrote and asked you to suggest a good book for my dad, who's 60 years old and doesn't read many books. He likes newspapers, but give him a book, and you'll find the book on his bedside table, collecting dust, while he's out doing yard work.
You suggested the writings of former New Yorker writer Joseph Mitchell, particularly a story about a man who eats fish and hopes to live past 100. That story is part of the Modern Library, you said, so it should be easy to find. If not, I could always pick up the omnibus collection of Mitchell's writings.
Well, I checked my local bookstore for that story about the aging man who likes fish, and even though its part of the Modern Library, they couldn't find a separate listing for it in Books in Print. I find that hard to believe. It is, however, part of the omnibus volume, which was in stock. But that collection of stories is several hundred pages long, and I just know that my dad wouldn't pick it up, even if I encouraged him to read only one part of the volume.
Discouraged, I headed for the store exit, but that's when Paul Auster's "Timbuktu" caught my eye. A story about a dog - from the dog's perspective! And, it's short! As a bonus, the hardback was heavily discounted. I took my chance. The die was cast.
Now my question: Will my dad like "Timbuktu," or is it a bit on the artsy, avant-garde side of things? Your prediction?
Michael Dirda: I've read four or five Auster books, and liked them all, but they have been a blend of detective or adventure story with mildly experimental existential ficiton. Timbuktu was reviewed by my colleague Jon Yardley, who loved it and felt it was going to become a classic of the genre. so I expect your dad will like the novel. If not, the little Modern LIbrary edition of JOseph Mitchell's The Bottom of the Harbar does exist, as does a new reissue of McSorley's Wonderful Saloon. Don't give up on Mitchell.
Washington, D.C.:
Michael, You da man!
What's your opinion of Herman Hesse's works?
Which novel, in your opinion, is his best?
Also, can you give any details/unusual info. about his unusual bio?
Michael Dirda: Well, I aint as much of da man as I might be, since I've never read a lot of Hesse. I think he was too popular during my youth and I steered away from him as a result. But his best books are pretty much agreed to be The Glass Bead Game, Demian and Steppenwolf. I don't know anything much about his life, except that he was a friend of Thomas Mann. Now, if you want me to talk about Mann, I am da Mann (or is that de Man). . .
Somewhere, USA:
Love the chats and have enjoyed many of the recommendations posted by you and and others. My book club is in search of a good love story-- not a sappy romance, but a well written, worth reading novel. We were discussing how nowadays this seems to be limited to pop fiction and not very well executed. Restore our faith, please!
Michael Dirda: Hmmm, a happy or a sad love story? For happy, try Jane Austen, almost anything, but probably Pride and Prejudice would be the one to start with, or CHarlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. For sad ones,you have a vast field to choose from: Madame Bovary, Swann in Love, Anna Karenina. One of my favorites is the Tolstoy novella, "The Kreutzer Sonata," a devastating portrait of jealousy. Turgenev's The Torrents of Spring. Among modern books? Lolita has been described as the only convincing love story of our time. How about some other suggestions from the audience?
Alexandria, Va.:
How do you feel about the trend of wrestlers such as Mick Foley and The Rock having best selling autobiographies?
Michael Dirda: I'm for it. I think every wrestler has at least one book in him and for too long distinguished men in this demanding field of endeavor were disenfranchised because of the well known bias of the Eastern literary establishment. Ever since Jacob wrestled with the angel and wouldn't let go until he received a blessing, I've felt that wrestling was one of the key leitmotifs of western culture.
Washington, D.C.:
The topic a few weeks ago was "favorite beach books." You mentioned Tolkien as a good beach book and since I was headed to the beach I picked up "The Hobbit." Fantastic book. It was a quick read and upon returning I immediately bought the "Lord of the Rings" epic. Just wanted to say thanks and ask if you recommend any Tolkien-like writers in the fantasy genre?
Michael Dirda: Glad you enjoyed the Tolkien, but it hardly took a lot of hard thought to recommend him. There are lots of Tolkien ephebes, but the fantasy writers I like, who are at least a little like the Oxford Don, are Philip PUllman (His Dark Materials--first book is The Golden Compass), Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast (much darker, more baroque prose, not really Tolkienesque but the other great fantasy sequence of the post war period), John Crowley's Little Big, and, among older writers, Fritz Leiber's tales of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser and Jack Vance's stories of the Dying Earth. Happy reading. By the way, this Sunday the special Book World summer reading issue will be out with lots of beach and vacation suggestions.
Washington, D.C.:
I am looking for some good, but fun summer reading for my 17-year old son. He enjoys detective stories and in particular he has enjoyed books by Chandler, Turow and Parker (Robert, not Dorothy). Any suggestions for other authors or titles in that genre? I do not know some of the newer detective books.
(I asked the same question last week but you were discussing books about books.)
Michael Dirda: Try Richard Stark's novels about the thief Parker. The first is The Hunter, made into the films Point Blank with Lee Marvin and Payback with Mel Gibson. Stark is actually Donald E. Westlake, who also writes wonderfully funny caper novels about Dortmunder and his gang. For more gritty detective ficiton, you might try Lawrence Block, Patricia Cornwell, or., among the hard-boiled set of yesteryear, John D. Macdonald (Travis McGee), Ross Macdonald (Lew Archer), Jim Thompson (noir) and David Goodis (noirer).
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Being an avid reader of Richard Price and the late Nelson Algren, I'm disappointed with the lack of current novels with a working class, urban theme.
Although there are a few exceptions, when browsing the "New Fiction" section, I'm overwhelmed by novels confronting that pesky societal ill, the one that's sure to ensure our culture's demise, the ever-troublesome middle class angst.
Is there any hope for readers who don't really care about the personal crises of the over-privileged?
Michael Dirda: I know what you mean. I grew up in a working class town and I'm hard pressed to find books describing the world I knew. But there is one author who captures a fair amount of that gritty, smokestack, brawny culture: K.C. Constantine. His police procedurals set in Rocksburg are authentic and moving, especially the earlier ones (some of hte later novels get a bit windy and polemical). Start with the first, The Rocksburg Railroad Murders. Wonderful evocations of bars, Catholic neighborhoods, drinking wine out of jelly jars, etc. etc.
Lenexa, Kan.:
Possible Question for Updike--an attempt at humor rather than substance: Since Updike claims to have left Shillington in part to be closer to Ted Williams and since Salinger's actor son claims he and his father occasionally go to Red Sox games (Parade Magazine), ask Mr. Updike if he ever found himself passing a hotdog to J.D. in Fenway Park?
Michael Dirda: Nice question. I thought I'd start out by asking him about his greatest work: his ghost-written autobiography of Krusty the Clown. I trust all Simpsons fans know this episode. Updike actually says a few words.
Spring Valley, Calif.:
First of all thanks a million for the recommendation of Writers' Choice: A Library of Rediscoveries. I just looked up Updike in the list of recommenders. The one book he praises is Bruno Schulz's Sanitorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass. It might be interesting to know if he would add to this one some 20 years later?
Michael Dirda: Schulz's book was reissued in paperback--part of Philip Roth's Writers from the Other Europe series--and I suspect Updike might have written the intro or reviewed it for the New Yorker. He has certainly written about Schulz. I wonder, though, if he does have other books he feels are neglected and should be reprinted.
Burke, Va.:
I would recomend Siddarta and Narciss and Goldmund for the Hermann Hesse guy. They tend to do without some of the stylized writing Steppenwolf for instance.
Do you think Bert and Ernie from the muppets may be based on Bertold Brecht and Thomas Mann?
Michael Dirda: I do now. At any event, they should be. I'll never forget the great tenor Vladimir Flamingo.
Milwaukee, Wis.:
I just read "In the Heart of the Sea" by Nathaniel Philbrick in a new sturdy Penguin edition. It's been awhile since I've read a book straight through, but this account of the ship Essex out of Nantucket rammed by a whale and the horrific suffering of crew members who survived in frail whaleboats left me full of awe.
Philbrick is a very considerate host to this story: his prose is clear, his explanations of nautical terms helpful to the landlubber, and even the maps and illustrations seems as necessary to the book as the story itself.
And it's led me to choose the Big Guy: "Moby Dick" as my summer read. (150th anniversary) It's been awhile since being on board the Pequod under the command of dark Captain Ahab, but I'm ready once more to set sail for the landless seas.
Michael Dirda: Good luck. Maybe this time out Ahab will win. Ah, Starbuck, it is a mild, mild day. . .
Didn't Philbrick win a PUlitzer or something for this book? Or am I mixing it up with some other tragedy at sea?
Boston, Mass.:
Can you offer suggestions for a decent translation of "The Cherry Orchard"? I just finished a 1945 edition by Arthur Zeiger, and found it laughably poor.
Michael Dirda: Standard translations of Chekhov are those by Ronald Hingley in the Oxford CHekhov (in paperback from Oxford). But I"ve always been fond of the Edwardian flavor of Constance Garnett, and spent several years collecting the complete stories in her edition.
Ohio:
For the Tolkien fan: Also consider C.S. Lewis' trilogy, starting with "Out of the Silent Planet." Heck, try the Chronicles of Narnia, which I took great pleasure in rereading as an adult. BTW, Lewis and Tolkien were friends, hanging out together in an Oxford pub called The Eagle and Child, but known locally as the Bird and Babe. Or so my guidebook sez . . . Happy reading!
Michael Dirda: Yes, of course. Lewis. There's a good group biography of Tolkien, Lewis, Charles Williams (All Hallows Eve, etc), and their other friends: The Inklings, by Humprhey Carpenter, who also wrote the standard life of JRRT.
re: Romances/Love stories:
It may not qualify as a typical love story for many readers, but I think Posession, by A.S. Byatt would be a wonderful romance to read for a book group. The twist with this book is that the romance occured in the 19th century (while the book is set in the 20th); and it delves into romance of another sort- the love of literature, of research and scholarship; of solving a mystery. It is a wonderful book.
Michael Dirda: Yes, a perfect choice. I reviewed Possession and thought it a terrific love story. In part because of that piece, Byatt and I had lunch, became friends, and now correspond irregularly about the world of letters. Updike, to speak of a related topic, reviewed her latest novel and a book of essays in a terrific piece in the New YOrker, a real analysis of the theory of fiction.
California:
I'm wondering if Pittsburgh (looking for fiction about working class) wouldn't like some of Richard Russo's books--all the ones I've read except for "Straight Man" might fit the bill (although "Straight Man" is the funniest one, in my opinion).
Have you read the new Haruki Murakami book? I'm still trying to figure out "Wind-Up Bird Chronicle."
Michael Dirda: Russo. A friend of mine in Orlando recommended Straight Man, but I haven't gotten to it yetk, even though I like academic comedies. Yes, his latest book would certainly qualify as blue-collar lit (albeit written with class). Haven't read WInd up Bird. ,
Washington, D.C. 20002:
Hi Michael, I'm an aspiring writer and wonder if you would direct me to some books that would help me with the craft? I've read many books in my time, but not necessarly from the perspective of a writer. Are there any others whom I should read again, or lesser known writers who I might not have encountered? Also, any books that you could recommend on the craft of writing would be appreciated, also. Thanks
Michael Dirda: Hmm, several suggestions here. On the craft of writing you might look at the collected interviews, in several volumes, called Writers at Work (taken from Paris Review). There are nitty gritty manuals too worth checking out: John Gardner wrote a couple, as did Stephen King recently (SK on Writing). Best of all, though, you should just read as much as you can in whatever genre you aspire to write in. If it's fiction, read the classics--no need to mention titles here, but a study of Madame Bovary would teach you a lot--and if its nonfiction, you should probalby glom on to one or more of the staff writers for the New Yorker over the years: Janet Flanner, A.J. Liebling, Joseph Mitchell, John McPhee, etc. etc.
Milwaukee Wis.:
You are right, Michael. Nathaniel Philbrick won the National Book Award for "In the Heart of the Sea."
Michael Dirda: THanks. Once I had a memory that Harry Lorayne might envy, but no more.
Somewhere, USA:
Actually, Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street are based on Bert and Ernie (the cop and the taxi driver) from "It's a Wonderful Life."
Michael Dirda: Gee, I don't remember any cops and tax drivers in that film. I can only recall Jimmy Steward and an angel and bells tinkling on Christmas trees. As I said, the old memory isn't what it used to be. What, Mr. Dirda, are the 39 Steps?
Reston, Va.:
For the person looking for a love story: my wife is in a book club that read Ali and Nino: A Love Story, by Kurban Said. It's the story of the love between a Muslim boy and a Christian girl around the time of World War I in what is now Azerbaijan. Quite well done, I thought.
Michael Dirda: Thanks
Re: romance/love stories:
A couple of suggestions:
Tim O'Brien In the Lake of the Woods
Richard Brautigan The Abortion
Michael Dirda: Thanks too.
Winston-Salem, N.C.:
On the Updike front, since I haven't really seen much of his material turned into movies or television (Witches of Eastwick the most famous, I guess and though I fondly remember a Blythe Danner vehicle based on his short stories, Too Far to Go.), I wonder whether he sees that as something missed or a source of pride, i.e. he succeeds in his own medium which is not transferrable to movies or t.v.
Michael Dirda: I know he didn't much care for the film of Witches. There have been pbs films of some of the storiesk, as well as Too Far to Go--the Danner vehicle you mention (also with Michael Moriarty). A wonderful sequence about a couple's marriage and divorce, with a culminating sotry called Twin Beds in Rome. Culminating that is until Granparenting, in which the divorced couple meet again at the birth of a grandchild.
Boston, Mass.:
I know you're a fan of most of the Aubrey/Maturin novels but which Patrick O'Brian would you put at the top of the heap? Personally I think either "Post Captain" or "H.M.S. Surprise" rank with the best of Kipling. Your thoughts?
Michael Dirda: I think they rank nearly with the best of Austen; at times they're even Proustian. WHich Kipling are you thinking of? He only wrote a few novels--Kim, LIght That Failed, Captains Courageous--and none of these seem appropriate.
Washington, D.C.:
A friend is moving to Philadelphia and I'd like to get him a good book set in the city. He loves literature but not mystery or sci-fi -- any suggestions?
Thank you so much!
Michael Dirda: Hmmm--any help on this?
San Diego, Calif.:
Michael, can you recommend a good read for the next few days leading up to my having two teeth pulled Monday morning?
Michael Dirda: Marathon Man. That's a sick joke, in that the villain is a dentist who . . . well, you don't want to know. But I too have myriad dental woes, so sympathize. You want comedy. REad P.G. Wodehouse or Terry Pratchett. Or possibly the stoic philosophers. THis world is but a transitory. . .
Re: Love Story:
Try An Equal Music by Vikram Seth - a wonderful story of the love of a man for an unattainable woman and for his violin.
Michael Dirda: I reviewed AN Equal Music and it did make me cry, but it was very sentimental and I thought manipulatively so. Lots of Updike can be thought of as a series of love stories, usually unhappy ones.
Wiredog:
Re, your failing faculties: Perhaps you should try another school? Postmodern Solipsism, or maybe PreContemporary Unrealism. Or perhaps graphic novels. Maybe Le Morte D'Arthur or Illiad (he's at userfriendly.org)
Michael Dirda: Huh? I detect a malicious tone here, but don't quite know the tune it's humming. Still, I do like graphic novels (reviewing a new Neil Gaiman in two weeks), have read Malory, and know the Iliad has one L.
Re: Working-class novels:
I just bought "George Mills" by Stanley Elkin, but haven't cracked it yet. Would that qualify in this category?
Michael Dirda: Probably. But it's more an Elkin novel than anything else. But what could be finer than to read Stan the man in the summer?
Swim:
More love stories for the book clubber. John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman (also very erotic). Vikram Seth's The Golden Gate, which is all about love (friendship, too). Among Nabokov's, The Gift is more, ehhh, warmhearted than Lolita, though the mini-biography of Cherneshevski interrupts the flow. The last chapter, with the forgotten key and the little hidden surprise at the end, is one of the most romantic things I've ever read. Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End tetralogy is great. Valentine Wannop! Swann's Way. The Captive. Cities of the Plain (just kidding about this one).
Michael Dirda: Good suggestions. Many thanks. Cities of the Plain--why not? Just because everyone in Proust turns out to be homosexual. . .
Vienna, Va.:
I just want to say that your answer about wrestlers is one of the best things I've read in this chat. And that is saying something!
On a different note, what can you tell me about Joseph McElroy? I recently saw him compared favorably with DeLillo (in a good review of Powers' "Plowing the Dark"). Is the comparison fair?
Michael Dirda: McElroy has faded somewhat in recent years, but was once an icon of the mega-novel: A Smuggler's Bible, Lookout Cartridge, and the mammoth Women and Men. He certainly worked the same vein as Gaddis, Pynchon, Barth, etc. etc., but I've run into only a few people who've read him, except for Tom LeClair, who's read all these gigantic novels of the past 40 years, including I dare say the legendary Milkbottle H, by Gil Orlovitz. So fair comparison, but try one of the books.
Lenexa, Kan.:
Updike: I pull for Updike every November. When he had Henry Bech receive the Nobel, Updike had a baby cry and we all missed the acceptance speech. In my mind, I imagine one that would rank with Faulkner's.
Michael Dirda: yes, I'm sure it would. Man will not only survive, he will endure. Or however the hell it goes.
Charlotte, N.C.:
For the person moving: Miracle at Philadelphia, the story of the Constitutional Congress. It reads like a novel and is true to boot!
Michael Dirda: thanks
Boton, Mass.:
RE: Kipling
Captains Courageous of course! And the "Man Who Would Be King." Good tough guy (but sensitive and human) stuff. A lot like O'Brian.
Michael Dirda: thanks.
College Park, Md.:
There's a new Neil Gaiman graphic novel out? Tell me more, please!
Michael Dirda: GEt down on your knees and beg.
Actually, it's a "real" novel, his big book called American Gods, about what happens to the Old World gods in this country. Lots of fun. But read the review in 10 days.
Takoma Park, Md.:
You're right a second time! Updike wrote the Introduction to the Writers from the Other Europe edition of Schulz's Sanatorium under the Sign of the Hourglass. Have you been taking those herbal memory aids?
And speaking of the other Europe, have you read any of the novels, plays, essays, etc. of the great Czech writer Karel Capek? Really good stuff. I think his "Three Novels" is one of the best books around. He was apparently a near miss for the Nobel in the 1930s.
Michael Dirda: Well, I do know a few things yet. ONly Capek I know are the play R.U.R, which stands for Rossum's Universal Robots, which gave us the word robot, and the fantasy novel, War with the Newts. He's practically one of mine own people, I being Slovak--or wait, maybe he's the enemy of mine own people. It's hard to keep those East Europeans straight. Nothing but blood feuds.
Takoma Park, Md.:
Love stories:
Carol Shields has several. Try Larry's Party.
And Michael, you'll love Straight Man. Very funny academic novel.
Michael Dirda: Thanks. Yes, I reviewed Larry's Party and liked it a lot. THough I think I guessed wrong about who Larry would end up with.
Centreville, Va.:
For the person looking for love stories: I second (or third?) the recommendation for Possession. What a wonderful, amazing book!
Other suggestions: The Passion, by Jeanette Winterson (not a "typical" love story, but a very interesting novel); Persuasion, by Jane Austen (it's my favorite of her novels); Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys (a prequel to Jane Eyre; I didn't particularly like it but it would certainly provoke discussion!); and A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway (certainly not the most uplifting love story ever, but one of my favorites!)
Michael Dirda: Yes. Good choices. I'm a Winterson fan too, and I think hte Passion is her best novel.
re: Byatt:
Michael, Is A.S. Byatt the author involved in a nasty feud with Martin Amis? If so, I think he must be a bit jealous of her success. I loved Posession and loved the insect portion of "Angels & Insects." I could not get through Angels although I loved the premise. What other books of hers would you recommend. Also, I read the rather disturbing bit that "Posession" will be made into a film starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
Michael Dirda: Yes, they had a feud over the huge advance he got for one of his novels, but I believe they've patched things up. And yes, the book is being filmed with Paltrow.
Elkingrad:
Hi Mr Dirda,
A question for John Updike and a related question for you:
Mr Updike, you have often been accused, especially by feminist critics, of being unsympathetic at best and misogynistic at worse in your treatment of female characters; how would you respond.
And for you, Mr Dirda, do you agree with that above accessment? I happen to think that Updike is far less anti-feminist than say, Philip Roth. Your thoughts, please? As always, thanks.
Michael Dirda: I mention this issue in my review of LIcks of Love. I think Updike and Roth both like to write about sex, do so with utmost honesty, and since men are often pigs come to seem like pigs themselves. But I think they also love women, love sex, and think of themselves as praise-singers of both.
Wiredog:
It's not intended to be malicious. It's a pun. You know, "faculties/school".
Followed by a joke poking fun at the names of various scholarly schools of literature. I think "PreModern PostStructuralism" would make for an interesting style.
"All you Zombies" by Heinlein is one of the better examples of solipsism, IMHO. It's about a hermaphrodite time traveler who's his/her own parents.
The graphic novel "Maus" is an excellent piece of work.
userfriendly.org (by Illiad) is an online comic strip.
Michael Dirda: Yes. My favorite Heinlien, though, of this time paradox genre is By His Bootstraps. . .
Swim:
Re Cities of the Plain: Of course, there are gay love stories -- The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is sort of an example. But Cities is more about sex than love, it seems to me.
And for the McElroy question, I think Lookout Cartridge is excellent, and A Smuggler's Bible very good. Couldn't get into Plus, which is hard to decipher line by line.
Michael Dirda: thanks.
Virginia:
For the person with the kid who likes detective books-- I would recommend the Cadfael books by Ellis Peters. These mysteries, set in 12th century England, star a "monk with a past" as their hero, and are very compelling. Your library will have them, and there are almost 20 books altogether. They are great fun, and would also be great for anyone who has an interest in things medieval. I love these books.
Michael Dirda: thanks.
Milwaukee, Wis.:
RE: Updike Question
About a year ago he wrote in --I think-- the New York Reviewof Books that he was surprised and disappointed when he found fewer and fewer of his books at used bookstores in airports; that he felt, even while, alive he was beginning to disappear. I wonder if he still feels that way.
Michael Dirda: Interesting question.
Cleveland, Ohio:
Have you read Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay? I haven't (yet) but am wondering what you thought of it.
Thanks.
Michael Dirda: Reviewed it. Loved it--up until the final fifth or so, at which point it lost some of its energy and focus. Still i predicted it would win prizes.
Michael Dirda: WEll, time's up for this week. I'm sorry if I didn't get to all the questions--please try again next THursday. To any listeners out in Orlando, As ever! And until next week at 2, keep reading!
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