Behold the Gaddis Drinking Club! A book club that, like Oprah’s, is guaranteed to be shunned by Jonathan Franzen. And like Oprah, we’re sure to drive sales of our first selection, The Recognitions (preferably the edition with the William Gass introduction), through the roof. Why, at least five or six copies of The Recognitions are projected to be sold before year’s end. One can only imagine the excitement this will engender in Manhattan publishing houses: Long, obscure, difficult novels are scarcely profitable again. Hurrah!
Anyway, if you’re inclined, please join in the fun. You know, the more, the drunker.
UPDATE: This morning The Recognitions was ranked around 106,000 on Amazon. As of 9:15 this evening, it’s 12, 291. This is hilarious to me. Still nascent, the Gaddis Drinking Club is a marketing force to be reckoned with!
Franzen? That wimpy fucker couldn’t lift a copy of The Recognitions …
Comment by TEV — 11/8/2004 @ 6:08 pm
Tee hee.
That may have to be the website tagline.
Comment by CAAF — 11/8/2004 @ 6:19 pm
Ah, but if you remember your back issues of the Yawker, J-Franz is a huge fan of TR. (Which is not to say that he’s ever actually lifted it, without help.) It’s only when he read JR that he decided Gaddis had let him, and, indeed, the nation, down.
Comment by Rake — 11/8/2004 @ 7:37 pm
Now, Rake, I beg you: Do not be nuanced.
Comment by CAAF — 11/8/2004 @ 7:47 pm
Just the fact that Franzen thought JR is a letdown proves what an idiot he is.
Comment by derik — 11/9/2004 @ 10:56 am
Sorry. That was shameful.
Comment by Rake — 11/9/2004 @ 1:55 pm