Joe Murphy on Francine du Plessix Gray
Hi Everyone-
Well, it would appear that summer is here, whether we're ready for it or not. I decided to give that William Gaddis book I mentioned a few weeks ago - The Recognitions - a try. So far it's an amazing book, in some ways a mid-twentieth century version of Moby Dick, dazzling in its ambition but with a solid, intricate plot (and a ton of characters). It's hard to imagine one could find a better fictional look at midcentury Manhattan or a more darkly comic meditation on art. That being said: I'm not yet even a third of the way through this massive tome. I'll tell you more when (hopefully not if) I get to the end.
In the meantime: some changes are afoot at Olsson's. Elizabeth Brinkama, our beloved gift buyer and event ordering/staffing guru, has gone on to pursue new ventures - we'll miss you, Miss E!. Following in her footsteps are two other great Olsson's people: Christina Tomkins, longtime staff member at the Lansburgh store, will be taking over as our gift buyer, and Robert Starner, also of Lansburgh (and lots of other bookstore experience) will be stepping in to our new, consolidated position as events manager - booking, ordering for, and staffing events. You'll be hearing from them in the coming weeks; in the meantime please look out for them in the stores and welcome them to their new positions!
And of course, I have to mention at least one other book (that I've actually finished): Them: A Memoir of Parents by Francine du Plessix Gray. Right now I'm doing everything I can to promote great memoirs that help redeem the genre, which, as you may recall, has had a tough year for about a million little reasons. This memoir is by someone with some amazing real experiences, raised by two people with even more exciting and glamorous lives: Tatiana du Plessix Liberman, refugee from the both the Russian revolution and World War II, lover of the great Russian poet Mayakovsky, and world-famous designer of hats as "Tatiana of Saks"; and Alexander Liberman, editorial head of the entire Condé Nast empire. If you're going to have brilliant, glamorous, incredibly well-connected, and occasionally monstrous parents, you'd do well to learn to write as elegantly as Ms. Gray. The paperback edition finally comes out on Tuesday (June 6th). Stop by one of our stores and remind yourself why memoirs are worth reading.
See you in the stores!
Joe Murphy
Head Book Buyer
Well, it would appear that summer is here, whether we're ready for it or not. I decided to give that William Gaddis book I mentioned a few weeks ago - The Recognitions - a try. So far it's an amazing book, in some ways a mid-twentieth century version of Moby Dick, dazzling in its ambition but with a solid, intricate plot (and a ton of characters). It's hard to imagine one could find a better fictional look at midcentury Manhattan or a more darkly comic meditation on art. That being said: I'm not yet even a third of the way through this massive tome. I'll tell you more when (hopefully not if) I get to the end.In the meantime: some changes are afoot at Olsson's. Elizabeth Brinkama, our beloved gift buyer and event ordering/staffing guru, has gone on to pursue new ventures - we'll miss you, Miss E!. Following in her footsteps are two other great Olsson's people: Christina Tomkins, longtime staff member at the Lansburgh store, will be taking over as our gift buyer, and Robert Starner, also of Lansburgh (and lots of other bookstore experience) will be stepping in to our new, consolidated position as events manager - booking, ordering for, and staffing events. You'll be hearing from them in the coming weeks; in the meantime please look out for them in the stores and welcome them to their new positions!
And of course, I have to mention at least one other book (that I've actually finished): Them: A Memoir of Parents by Francine du Plessix Gray. Right now I'm doing everything I can to promote great memoirs that help redeem the genre, which, as you may recall, has had a tough year for about a million little reasons. This memoir is by someone with some amazing real experiences, raised by two people with even more exciting and glamorous lives: Tatiana du Plessix Liberman, refugee from the both the Russian revolution and World War II, lover of the great Russian poet Mayakovsky, and world-famous designer of hats as "Tatiana of Saks"; and Alexander Liberman, editorial head of the entire Condé Nast empire. If you're going to have brilliant, glamorous, incredibly well-connected, and occasionally monstrous parents, you'd do well to learn to write as elegantly as Ms. Gray. The paperback edition finally comes out on Tuesday (June 6th). Stop by one of our stores and remind yourself why memoirs are worth reading.See you in the stores!
Joe Murphy
Head Book Buyer
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