This just in
First sighting of Jonathan Lethem’s new novel, Chronic City, at National Bookstore in Power Plant. Hardcover, P1,135. If it’s not available at your neighborhood National, you can ask the Customer Service desk to order it for you.
The first Lethem I read was As She Climbed Across the Table. I liked it, but it was after reading Motherless Brooklyn that I resolved to read all his novels. Where’s the film adaptation of Motherless Brooklyn, wasn’t Edward Norton supposed to be making it? Then I read The Fortress Of Solitude which blew me away, beginning with the part where the narrator recalls how “Play That Funky Music, White Boy” ruined his life. Lethem is amazing when he writes about music. But his next novel, You Don’t Love Me Yet, was blah, and it was about musicians. The subject was probably too small for him. The author is at his best taking on the big stuff. He needs something broad, massive, epic.
Personally I think it’s a good policy to aim too high. It is more practical to be overly ambitious than to set a goal that is well within range of your abilities. How is this possible?
Well, if you aim low and fail, you put your talent and competence in doubt. You want so little but you still don’t get it, so maybe you don’t have what it takes.
However, if you overreach and you don’t achieve your goal, it will be viewed as a case of wanting too much rather than a simple failure due to insufficient skill. Even if you really do lack the skills and are a complete twerp. People will see the ambition first. This ambition, though it may look like hubris, will overshadow the more obvious causes, including sheer incompetence and the absence of talent. If you project total self-belief, people will tend to give you the benefit of the doubt. You might even be proclaimed a visionary.
Hmm, I sound a bit like Raul explaining why it is more practical to shop at Louis Vuitton.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
October 28th, 2009 at 03:55
I loved Motherless Brooklyn (he wrote something about Prince’s song “How Come You Don’t Call Me” in that book)!
October 29th, 2009 at 22:04
The first Lethem book I read was Fortress, and halfway through I thought, “Why is he getting all sci-fi?” Turns out it’s what he does best, especially after reading some of Those Before Motherless Brooklyn. He’s also one of about three American writers I know who can get away with all that pop culture stuff without trying to look clever. Yup, he’s very good.
November 2nd, 2009 at 07:27
i love the idea shared on this article, i thought of it too. to be too ambitious so you will not end up like a loser even if u suck at what you desperately wanted to be.