In Walks with Men, the novella published yesterday from Ann Beattie, the writer returns to a time when her star was the well-polished centerpiece of the literary firmament—namely, the 1980s, when you couldn’t open the New Yorker without seeing one of her stories and "Chilly Scenes of Winter became a kind of bible among 20somethings." Or so Charles McGrath wrote this week for the New York Times in his piece "Ann Beattie, Reliving a Time of Fame." That’s brisk, baby! Of local interest: McGrath touches on Beattie’s infamously gnarly MFA workshops at UVA, and Beattie compares undergraduate creative writing classes to puppy pile-ups. Check next week’s C-VILLE for more on Walks With Men.
In other famous local writer news (via mediabistro) John Grisham’s first foray into kid-lit, Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, debuted at #1 on the New York Times children’s bestseller list this week. You’ve gotta feel bad for the guy—with only 250 million copies of his books circulating in 38 languages, he gives and gives, and we take and take. Somebody better put in an early call to Justin Bieber for the movie adaptation.
A sidenote: Jimmy Cliff has rescheduled for June 27. Tickets for last Sunday’s show will be honored; keep your eyes on the Pavilion’s website for details.
Will Grisham’s children’s books catch up with his adult fare?
