It's Also True, However, That Having Conquered

The Great Recession Is Not Imaginary, And The Effects Loom Large. There Was An Article In The Nyt About The Galloping Death Rate Among White Men In Middle Age. Higher Than Among Any Other Demographic, Etc. Mostly Death By Drugs, Alcohol, Or Suicide. Many Of Them Rural. My Feeling Is That It's Many People Who Haven't Been Able To Get Back Into The Work Force. Reg Morse Is An Example Of The Problem.

It's Also True, However, That Having Conquered The Regional Writer Ghetto, I Am Now Intent On Conquering The Nationalist Writer Ghetto And Moving Out Into The World More.

I'm Trying To Make Sure That There's Comedy As Well As Sadness. It Makes The Sadness More Memorable.

But That Incessant Drive To Be Out There In The Literary Universe That Was Important To Me When I Was In My Twenties, Like Going To A Paris Review Party Or Whatever, That Seems Totally Irrelevant Now.

I Sort Of Hate The Novel When It Doesn't Push, Restlessly, Against The Tradition And The Traditional.