Not only can Maud be found in this Sunday's Post, but as Ron notes, the Times has gone ga-ga over Vollman, albeit mammoth nonfiction Vollman. (And, on the whole, this Sunday looks as if it has considerably more fiction coverage than the last three weeks.) Is there hope for the NYTBR? Has Keller been listening? I'm positive that the gang over at the Saloon will have a tally and a summation of this interesting new development.
Posted by DrMabuse at March 6, 2004 01:39 PMFiction coverage is decent this week -- relatively speaking. It's an issue where the 'Books in Brief' section is devoted to fiction (as it is every other week), and it's also a week with the very brief sci-fi roundup. BUT, in fact, it's a very thin issue. There are only three (!) full length fiction reviews (which are, pretty much, the only ones that count) -- fewer, in fact than there have been in ages.
Our conclusion: no evidence that Keller or anybody has been listening, certainly not more fiction coverage than usual (i.e. this is within the normal range of week-to-week fluctuations in fiction coverage -- albeit on the lower end thereof). But there is always hope -- though we should all be keeping up the pressure on them to do the right thing (i.e. increase their fiction coverage !)
And we'll grudgingly admit the Vollmann (non-fiction) gets the coverage it's due (we're still working our way through it) -- and we're slightly appeased by the fact that they reviewed "Triomf" (fiction in translation ! that they even remember that there is such a thing is amazing !)
Michael Orthofer, on behalf of
the Literary Saloon