The New York Times Book Review - USA (2020-08-09)

6 SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2020

What books are on your nightstand?

J.M.G. Le Clézio’s “The Prospector,”

Christopher Beha’s “The Index of Self-

Destructive Acts” and the two volumes of

Jean d’Ormesson’s “Une Autre Histoire

de la Littérature Française.” I met

d’Ormesson when I lived in Paris — the

perfect example of a French aristocrat.

What’s the last great book you read?

“The Collected Stories of Elizabeth Bow-

en.” I’m reading two of her stories every

day and Skyping about them with a

friend. The best story so far is “Ivy

Gripped the Steps.”

Can a great book be badly written? What

other criteria can overcome bad prose?

Nabokov thought that Dostoyevsky was

improved in English. I don’t much like

Faulkner, though I found “The Sound and

the Fury” better in French. The transla-

tor, Maurice-Edgar Coindreau (a Prince-

ton professor), just cut many incompre-

hensible, “metaphysical” passages and

normalized the “Negro” dialect. I’m such

a slow reader that for me nothing can

overcome bad prose.

Describe your ideal reading experience

(when, where, what, how).

When I was a sophomore in high school I

was alone in the apartment during the

day because I had mononucleosis and I

remember the ecstasy of lying in a pool of

sunlight and reading for the first time

Pope’s “Rape of the Lock,” which I found

beautifully crafted and devastatingly

funny.

What’s your favorite book no one else has

heard of?

“The Story of Harold,” by Terry Andrews.

It’s a strange book about a bisexual sa-

dist who plans to burn his slave alive

(with the slave’s eager cooperation). It

reminds us that fiction was much more

daring in the 1970s than now.

Do you have any comfort reads?

No, I’m too serious. As a Midwestern

public library intellectual, I read only for

self-improvement.

Do you think any canonical books are

widely misunderstood?

“Lolita.” Nabokov’s job in the book is to

make you like the monstrous Humbert

Humbert. In the 1960s readers were too

swinging to see how evil he was and now

readers are too prudish to see how

charming he can be.

Do you prefer books that reach you emo-

tionally, or intellectually?

They must do both to interest me. For

instance, George Eliot and Marcel Proust

are writers who understand politics, the

history of the arts, moral philosophy but

can render the force of the passions.

Which genres do you especially enjoy

reading? And which do you avoid?

Literary fiction and good biographies are

my favorite. I don’t read murder myster-

ies — I’ve always been too nerdish for

that.

How do you organize your books?

By chaotic stacks.

What book might people be surprised to

find on your shelves?

“Who’s Who in Hell.”

Have you ever changed your opinion of a

book based on information about the

author, or anything else?

Reading his books has led me to admire

Somerset Maugham, whom I was too

snobbish to look at when I was young.

How have your reading tastes changed

over time?

I read less philosophy, possibly because I

move in a less intellectual milieu than in

the past. I’ve always read poetry with

great interest. I love James Schuyler,

Eugenio Montale, James Merrill, Eliza-

beth Bishop. I’m reading George Mer-

edith’s “Modern Love” right now.

You’re organizing a literary dinner party.

Which three writers, dead or alive, do

you invite?

The three great gigglers: Proust, Firbank

and Chekhov. You probably need two or

three translators as well.

What do you plan to read next?

All of Henry Green again. Maybe some-

thing by Moravia. “Anna Karenina” as I

do every year. Maybe something by the

fascinating d’Annunzio, whose biography

I just read by Maurizio Serra. 0

Edmund White

The novelist, whose new book is ‘A Saint From Texas,’ thinks ‘Lolita’ is

widely misunderstood: ‘Nabokov’s job in the book is to make you like

the monstrous Humbert Humbert.’

An expanded version of this interview is

available at nytimes.com/books.

By the Book

ILLUSTRATION BY JILLIAN TAMAKI

NDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2008

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