14 August 2008

My Question For Tom Wolfe

Remember how I wrote about Haruki Murakami taking questions for TIME Magazine? Tom Wolfe, celebrated author and man in white, is doing the same TIME series and I couldn't help joining in. So here's my question:
Mr. Wolfe, who would win in a rap battle, you reading the lyrics which you wrote for Doctor Dis in I AM CHARLOTTE SIMMONS, or Jay-Z? Fine print: by answering this question you are in fact agreeing to participate in this rap battle with Jay-Z, although we will give you a 16-measure boost from Lil'Wayne.
Hmm. Maybe you can do better than me. But how could you not want to see that? By the way, I have read ...CHARLOTTE SIMMONS but I didn't like it as much as THE ELECTRIC KOOL-AID ACID TEST, which I will always associate with a family vacation to Brazil where I devoured it in a hammock.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I couldn't get past the prologue of Charlotte Simmons. I forget what it was exactly, but it was some caricature of a frat dude talking about date rape, or something along those lines.

Maybe I didn't give it a fair chance. Many of my favorite books set up seemingly one-dimensional characters only to flesh them out as the book moves along. Somehow, I don't feel like I'm missing out, though.

Plus, I don't think I can accept at face value a writer who's professional title is "literary dandy."

Ellen said...

Henry, I've read Charlotte Simmons, and if you didn't make it past the prologue I don't think you would like the rest.

I remember liking it enough to stay with it, but I don't think it would hold up under a second reading. Certainly it's never going to be mentioned in the same breath as his earlier books.