I’m kind of bored this afternoon, and you know who benefits from that? You do, good reader, you do. Today, I thought I’d try something new. 5 for Friday is a list of 5 books/movies/albums, etc. about a certain topic. Today, I thought I’d use Mark Sarvas’s excellent post about “Loser’s in fiction” at Bookforum. I won’t list any of the books he did, so do click over to his post. I also won’t list Mark’s novel Harry, Revised, though I’ve mentioned it here before. Did you know it’s out in paperback? Well, you do now.
- In the Drink, by Kate Christensen. Christensen’s debut novel puts a feminine twist on what’s often a decidedly male genre. Claudia Steiner has the job from hell as an assistant to an unstable and terrifying society matron. In addition to this, she lives in a roach-infested walk-up apartment, for which she owes several months rent. Oh, and she’s in love with her best friend, too. So, you know, good times.
- A Fan’s Notes, by Frederick Exley. Exley’s protagonist is an alcoholic womanizer who spends a fair amount of time in insane asylums. He’s also a rabid New York Giants fan. If that doesn’t scream loser, I don’t know what does.
- Withnail & I, written and directed by Bruce Robinson. We can debate whether this is exactly a work of loser fiction. It’s certainly part of the grand tradition of “weekend in the country” narratives, of which I’m also a fan. But really, let’s look at this. Withnail and our loyal nameless narrator live in a crumbling squat in London, where they are so broke that Withnail, in a moment of foolishness, drinks lighter fluid.
- FML. Everybody already knows about this site, but with posts like this, I think it’s appropriate for this list: “Today, my most difficult task at work was three hole punching a 500 page document so somebody could put it in a binder on their shelf and not read it. I have a $150,000 education. FML.”
- Kicking & Screaming. No, not the Will Farrell movie, though I’m sure that’s great, too. This one was the debut film for Noah Baumbach, and it’s hilarious. A bunch of guys graduate from an elite college…and then never leave. Instead they hang around and try to fit into their old college lives. I don’t say this often, but if you’ve never seen this movie, I pity you.
Have a great weekend, everybody! Next week, I’ll be posting a new podcast, as well as other assorted awesomeness.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
How do all of these summaries manage to describe my life in one way or another? You sure know how to make a girl feel like a Grade-A Loser. (PS: The Will Farrell Kicking & Screaming is pretty funny).
Gillian, it’s clear that you have to write a highly-autobiographical novel about your current situation. Maybe something like “Goodbye, Good Luck Bar”?