A Book Bench, Bernhard, and the Irony Switch

For those of you who have been following Douglas Glover online, either through douglasglover.net, the five-times-lovely numéro cinq, or through general twitterbuzz, you'll know that his essay on Thomas Bernhard has been catching eyes around the world. First there was The Brooklyn Rail, which ran it last week; then there was Andrew Gallix, columnist for The Guardian, who posted an excerpt on his blog; and today, the New Yorker's Book Bench column posted an excerpt in its "Loose Leafs" online feature. Keep tweeting, world! And remember that Doug will be signing copies of Attack of the Copula Spiders this year at AWP Chicago, both at the Vermont College of Fine Arts booth (Mar. 1, 2-3:30), and at the Copula Spiders Pre-Party (Mar. 2nd, 7 PM, Dining Room 4).

And finally (as we flick the lights on this post?), the Book Bench pull quote: “Every great novel possesses a mysterious flickering quality, the on/off light of irony, that conceals and reveals its moment of fidelity.” Thanks, Book Bench!