To get you in the right frame of mind for our soon-to-be-unveiled Joseph O'Neill interview (in the final editing stages), check out today's story, in which he resists the "Gatsby" tag ...
"I'm slightly wary about putting those two books next to each other," he says. "I'm not going to come out of it well. Gatsby is regarded by many as the seminal American novel of the 20th century, so obviously one is reluctant to invite comparisons! But I must acknowledge that debt. I was influenced by Gatsby to a degree I didn't realize until I was halfway through the book, by which point my book was significantly different to accept the possibility that the plots are similar. They're even similar in perspective and mood, with narrators, outsiders who come to New York and leave sadder but wiser men."
that's resisting the tag?
Posted by: ankur | July 02, 2009 at 01:13 AM
Considering Joyce's influence on Gatsby, and the complete lack of innovation in Netherland, one wonders where exactly everyone believes these two are meeting.
Posted by: john | July 02, 2009 at 07:03 AM