In the District, Into the Bargain
(2014)(A book in the Electric Literature's Recommended Reading series)
A Story by Gordon Lish
"If one regards Gordon Lish a standard bearer of the literary art, as I do, writing an introduction to his work is superfluous," writes John Oakes, co-publisher of OR Books, in his introduction to this issue of Recommended Reading.
"A story by Lish is anything but innocent. It is the precisely, even obsessively, crafted product of an all-knowing narrator who dazzles with asides and distractions. It is a celebration of loss, a poison gift from its creator dropped into the receptacle - you and I, miserable recipients of beautiful lies."
About the author:
Gordon Lish, born in 1934 in Hewlett, New York, is the author of numerous works of fiction, which together with his activities as a teacher and editor have placed him at the forefront of the American literary scene. Fiction editor at Esquire magazine from 1969 to 1976, in 1977 he became an editor at Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, where he worked until 1995. Among the writers he is credited with championing are Harold Brodkey, Raymond Carver, Don DeLillo, Barry Hannah, Jack Gilbert, Amy Hempel, Jason Schwartz, Noy Holland, Sam Lipsyte, Anne Carson, Ben Marcus, Gary Lutz, Cynthia Ozick, Christine Schutt, Dawn Raffel, and Will Eno. From 1987 to 1995, Lish was the publisher and editor of The Quarterly, a literary journal that showcased the work of contemporary writers. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship (1984), and in the same year won the O. Henry Award for his story "For Jerome - with Love and Kisses," a parody of J. D. Salinger's story "For Esme - with Love and Squalor." Among his seven novels are Dear Mr. Capote (1983) and Peru (1986). He lives in New York City.
About the Guest Editor:
OR Books is a publisher dedicated to "progressive change in politics, culture, and the way we do business." Founded in 2009 by publishing veterans John Oakes and Colin Robinson, the company's focus is on selling direct to consumers via the web. All books are published as both print and ebooks. Among its authors are Julian Assange, Eileen Myles, Yoko Ono, Douglas Rushkoff, Jason Schwartz and, of course, Gordon Lish.
About the Publisher:
Electric Literature is an independent publisher working to ensure that literature remains a vibrant presence in popular culture. Electric Literature's weekly fiction magazine, Recommended Reading, invites established authors, indie presses, and literary magazines to recommended great fiction. Once a month we feature our own recommendation of original, previously unpublished fiction, accompanied by a Single Sentence Animation. Single Sentence Animations are creative collaborations: the author chooses a favorite sentence and we commission an artist to interpret it. Stay connected with us through email, Facebook, and Twitter, and find previous Electric Literature picks in the Recommended Reading archives.
Genre: Romance
"A story by Lish is anything but innocent. It is the precisely, even obsessively, crafted product of an all-knowing narrator who dazzles with asides and distractions. It is a celebration of loss, a poison gift from its creator dropped into the receptacle - you and I, miserable recipients of beautiful lies."
About the author:
Gordon Lish, born in 1934 in Hewlett, New York, is the author of numerous works of fiction, which together with his activities as a teacher and editor have placed him at the forefront of the American literary scene. Fiction editor at Esquire magazine from 1969 to 1976, in 1977 he became an editor at Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, where he worked until 1995. Among the writers he is credited with championing are Harold Brodkey, Raymond Carver, Don DeLillo, Barry Hannah, Jack Gilbert, Amy Hempel, Jason Schwartz, Noy Holland, Sam Lipsyte, Anne Carson, Ben Marcus, Gary Lutz, Cynthia Ozick, Christine Schutt, Dawn Raffel, and Will Eno. From 1987 to 1995, Lish was the publisher and editor of The Quarterly, a literary journal that showcased the work of contemporary writers. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship (1984), and in the same year won the O. Henry Award for his story "For Jerome - with Love and Kisses," a parody of J. D. Salinger's story "For Esme - with Love and Squalor." Among his seven novels are Dear Mr. Capote (1983) and Peru (1986). He lives in New York City.
About the Guest Editor:
OR Books is a publisher dedicated to "progressive change in politics, culture, and the way we do business." Founded in 2009 by publishing veterans John Oakes and Colin Robinson, the company's focus is on selling direct to consumers via the web. All books are published as both print and ebooks. Among its authors are Julian Assange, Eileen Myles, Yoko Ono, Douglas Rushkoff, Jason Schwartz and, of course, Gordon Lish.
About the Publisher:
Electric Literature is an independent publisher working to ensure that literature remains a vibrant presence in popular culture. Electric Literature's weekly fiction magazine, Recommended Reading, invites established authors, indie presses, and literary magazines to recommended great fiction. Once a month we feature our own recommendation of original, previously unpublished fiction, accompanied by a Single Sentence Animation. Single Sentence Animations are creative collaborations: the author chooses a favorite sentence and we commission an artist to interpret it. Stay connected with us through email, Facebook, and Twitter, and find previous Electric Literature picks in the Recommended Reading archives.
Genre: Romance
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