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Classic novels revisited. This issue: The Heart of Mid/othian
DON DELILLO Cosmopolis ‘“ " ' O...
The first question you have is: what's a cosmopolis? A mix of cosmopolitan and metropolis, it seems to bring together in one perfect nutshell the particular city that this novel is concerned with dissecting: New York, New York. So good, Don DeLillo has written about it more than twice; and he dedicates the book to that other metaphysical chronicler of the Big Apple, Paul Auster. And no, there was never any chance of it meaning a Glasgow copper who subscribes to women‘s magazines. After the millennial epic of Underworld, it would appear on the surface that DeLillo is slowing down, maybe girding himself for another literary blockbuster, knocking the socks off those who feel his genius is spent. Certainly, The Body Artist was both flimsy and torrid, short on pages but long in windedness, eking out paragraphs of description when a phrase would have done the job as well. While his best works leave the reader shelving the thought of picking up another book until the bruise left by Don's mighty mind has paled, The Body Artist just had his advocates shaking their heads
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What the critics said
in empty bemusement. DeLillo gracefully captures the great and small Cosmopolis, too, checks in at a leisurely 200 pages but you immediately reject the made on his life and the economy getting ready to _ thought that you‘ll race through it at one sitting. The crash around everyone's ears. Key moment ' ' sheer depth of DeLillo‘s skill and width of imagination And death, as ever, stalks every street. This being ' ' ' V I ' V ' I forces you to take it slow, tasting the atmosphere and contemporary New York, 11 September psychosis is ’ " ' ' blinking in the glare of his imagery. And memorable rife in the context. The haunting image of a murderous 1“ lines? You got ‘em: “‘I want to bottle-fuck you slowly attack on the IMF managing director is caught live on ‘ with my sunglasses on",' could well be the pick of the Money Channel and replayed endlessly until ‘the 1 many. sensation drained out of it‘. '1 r 2 As though aping his Celtic soul brother Joyce, DeLillo So, that title again. It's probably worth noting that the ' ‘ crams in the tale of 24 hours in the day of Eric Packer, a word ‘cosmos' is in there. Of all his US contemporaries, ' H vastly fortunate businessman with a new wife (a poet Don DeLillo may well be the writer most obsessed with ' ‘ i" ' ' whose literature he hates), but who cruises his city in a both the little things and big projects which revolve ' ' ' limo, bodyguard in tow, with little cares beyond wanting within our planet. And he captures them with grace. pOStSC’ipt " " ' " " a good haircut. And that, despite threats having been (Brian Donaldson) ' 3 " " ' ' ‘ ESSAYCUHECMZN . _j ' ‘, ,' "‘ ‘ lll 1m n tlptz‘“ bivtuil' ‘.'.""i<- .i '.".7l" °.".2T~ 'ii'. ~' 2‘ 1' ‘ .' ‘ - ~~ . Reefer Madness and Other Tales 5;<>::';iiit;l é<>zi"-::gj "gatingilixt't‘ l". w ‘ ‘ - " First line test from the American Underground £ll)()'_.l trim gii>i>;i""‘;; (i(>."(l li<:":: " Us :i-- y'. ' . . . t- :' -/ -' " ' ' ,Alien 1,,Hog‘1(\g}g},m .'"(?{l'. (newt; ‘;i<:°.:;i 5:9,. A‘fw v-wgi l"‘_i fl‘li' -"_ . .' " " ' w " w ’ .M - ' ' I, Tiwiii. H(\()f$(3‘.(?i()'(l(?l(?(lLl" PN'mz‘ f"->: i- -- -4 " 2" -"‘-‘33'>'~‘.lzi!'r:ri (1".(l unwifiui‘. awn" SE " '1' ' =' ' ‘i‘tllitltifil,N"‘(?'l€"‘ll(l‘:f;UH" :2": ‘w 2" 1 l)'<>t;i.:(a"f trifle" "ml W) "Tl:"’_l'i," :‘ (lgii‘ ' a' " ’1 "r ’ ' " ‘ li‘.:f§"?'ii_l[tiff/'03:}..'iZTriT".!'” ma". :' :rz" : . /:' "Ur-'4": Siflilmfzsin's <>x<:<-i>t'<:ri;i‘ "il".'."&l H? CH" iii, ; H ' "i z ' ‘ “‘- r\".l(?':iillll '7;le ssv‘xwwx ‘.'."tl‘ T§.i’7l‘ .l".l"§i"2 '3, ‘7'. '-.-.:':-.-' w' ' <7:>r‘t;t'!iili(:r‘zil plaumté‘». But TW- iwxik'a :":\ .w- ';:~-. '1 2w: ' ' . ' 31L.(7(7(?33f§l‘£1(lSCY‘WSSO"li.<)fl‘(; w: c'fguy- “'n ‘* V '1 Sinclair ‘l .‘w‘mt: liv rm: {whim}; "suz'f, l"-.- ' rt: E": '- ' l"! “l U ' it'lflll‘,£1<Z<ilfl<fllfIllillfil‘fllb (Expat-"N. ’ w ':‘ “ “INHK'V‘ fS'f‘ll‘éM‘". ..".fi’ ',' '_"-': I,“ "‘ "'2 l'it: 0515mm [few/'0"7.7.1:."13‘: -'. , . ' : a" .i :' z ' : ' ; :---:: I t; v > , ;.::.:;.t-:- 520"”:- '>' . (770886" ~: fi‘mi‘. "f , T"-’- " .‘-'.‘:' I ' 1’ = i' a“ ‘ t o' ' f ‘rz‘m f"<> 118'. (lemme. pun-ix; :,::'n" H'- .: ~;’ ;‘ :' J' " t'i-ti {‘TT.{" (at :"..(?5§'. (in? :(1- ffli'lldilfl'l‘ ‘.i' C’."‘:’:’.‘ "' f" {,"" 1:, .‘ ,.,' 5k; l,.:;-,:‘u"::f‘w'énit‘“c‘t'V‘Oaf. l‘w‘ffb it’l‘f"’}¥i‘ i"" :"7 ' '1‘:" 2, I:' I?" t a L" :1T:"‘.’i:i::t::"“b”""’l{witty'g'ti‘d/fw win-4' J: " 0-4" :' ." K- : ' --... .i";:‘igiii'wl::..l\:‘.i'f";;T“€:l,""fT";if f"~':'-' u ' "-’;‘-- 2 '3‘!" LlL“.(‘-""V“""T E1...‘."”€" "" "‘ ""'"" ['1 ""4," 1": ." " I :‘Ll'l'liilYSI‘x "zit; {l 3.34:? "(151 "" "'T 1' . 7’ -‘ ' ' ' l' v " "- 1,J Schlosser places porn on trial 3;th :‘ga'ar‘om ">;;‘:"‘.. 31'": i» :. '
102 THE LIST .‘-'- Aw *4 '.'.':.