Sunday, January 16, 2011

New Rules for Writers

This is a really brilliant piece of writing. I've never heard of Anis Shivani and I have no idea whether or not this guy wrote his article as a serious blow against establishmentarians or as a means to pull the legs of people who hate the establishment. All I'm certain of is that I now feel like the blonde in the joke with the piece of paper that says 'turn over' on both sides. It perfectly articulates your (my) worst nightmare view of what it may or may not take to break into the culture world. It sends up the aspirations of all us 'misunderstood artiste' types and at the same time displays a curious excess of empathy for our plight. Like an Escher drawing, its contents completely changes with the angle from which we look. After reading it, I think it's equally possible that this guy is a sage or a douche.

I haven't the foggiest idea of whether or not to take this article seriously. But I submit that it doesn't matter. It works well either way, and even better together. I might be an ass for even thinking to take it seriously, and perhaps an even bigger one for taking it as a joke. Or maybe the joke is on the people who see it through a single lens. But I would imagine that perspectives on this will diverge wildly.

....or maybe this is just the sleeping pill talking.

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