Review of Madame Bovary for The Believer

I Review Lydia Davis's New Translation of Madame Bovary



Number of previous English translations of Madame Bovary: at least nineteen (according to Davis); Plot summary: Dissatisfied, a country doctor’s wife goes to a fancy-dress party, dreams of a better life, has two affairs, buys things she can’t afford and goes deeply into debt, eats arsenic; Representative sentence: “They had to lift her head a little, and at that a stream of black liquid ran out of her mouth like vomit.” Read my review here.

Jonathan Ames for BlackBook

Jonathan Ames Takes Me to the Russian Baths



Before the premiere of the second season of "Bored to Death," Jonathan Ames hosted me on a tour of the Russian baths in the East Village. Following the baths, I attended the premiere, with the cast of BTD.

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“Yes,” says Jonathan Ames. “Cover yourself up good. Like this.” I look back as he’s putting a towel over his shins. He puts several more over his body, and says, “You can even put one over your head.” He pulls up a brown towel smoothly over his face and drops it. “But then you can’t see the view.”

Tao Lin for BlackBook

On Stealing, Drugs and his Dad



“Where do your parents live?” I say.
“Taiwan.”
“I thought you were from Florida.”
“I am. They moved because their house was confiscated by the government.”