Comments on: The Apprenticeship of Randall Cobb http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2011/08/22/the-apprenticeship-of-randall-cobb/ Development site for Bronx Banter Blog's upcoming look and feel Wed, 22 May 2013 01:29:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: NYYfan22 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2011/08/22/the-apprenticeship-of-randall-cobb/#comment-92940 NYYfan22 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:21:16 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=65375#comment-92940 Thanks for posting that, Al. Good stuff. Thanks for posting that, Al. Good stuff.

]]> By: Alex Belth http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2011/08/22/the-apprenticeship-of-randall-cobb/#comment-92939 Alex Belth Mon, 22 Aug 2011 19:09:18 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=65375#comment-92939 When I interviewed Pete here at the Banter he said: "About a year ago the New York Times called me and they wanted to know what was the best novel of the last 25 years. So I stared to think what I’ve really enjoyed. Entertainment is a really important part of a book for me and I was really entertained by Richard Russo’s Straight Man and Nobody’s Fool. All those novels. And there’s a guy—he really is a storyteller. He’s a very competent writer, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not…a great stylist. You are never going to confuse his stuff with Updike but on the other hand, he’s exactly good enough to carry those great stories and those great characters and that warmth that he has about the places and people that he writes about. He’s exactly good enough to do what he does and to me that’s the definition of what it is to be a serious writer. Which is to be good enough to talk about what you’re talking about without being so good that it’s all about your brilliance." I think this speaks to your point, Will. As a writer, you hope your style can be invisible to the point that it just engages the reader so deeply that they are unaware of anything but the story. When I interviewed Pete here at the Banter he said:

“About a year ago the New York Times called me and they wanted to know what was the best novel of the last 25 years. So I stared to think what I’ve really enjoyed. Entertainment is a really important part of a book for me and I was really entertained by Richard Russo’s Straight Man and Nobody’s Fool. All those novels. And there’s a guy—he really is a storyteller. He’s a very competent writer, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not…a great stylist. You are never going to confuse his stuff with Updike but on the other hand, he’s exactly good enough to carry those great stories and those great characters and that warmth that he has about the places and people that he writes about. He’s exactly good enough to do what he does and to me that’s the definition of what it is to be a serious writer. Which is to be good enough to talk about what you’re talking about without being so good that it’s all about your brilliance.”

I think this speaks to your point, Will. As a writer, you hope your style can be invisible to the point that it just engages the reader so deeply that they are unaware of anything but the story.

]]> By: Chyll Will http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2011/08/22/the-apprenticeship-of-randall-cobb/#comment-92938 Chyll Will Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:46:54 +0000 http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=65375#comment-92938 Wow. Simple, yet brilliant. I was engrossed in every word and got emotional along the way. There is a certain grace in simplicity sometimes that can break your heart if you're not careful. Am I overreacting here? I think not; it was so accessible I find I can relate to his story. Juxtapose that with the fearsome bounty-hunting brute who terrorized the southwest plains dwellers of Raising Arizona with his brutal, yet straightforward action and logic and you can see both the ugliness he was engulfed in and yet see a sensitive child at the center of it. It's not lyrically written or metaphorically expressive, yet I connected. Good writing. Wow. Simple, yet brilliant. I was engrossed in every word and got emotional along the way. There is a certain grace in simplicity sometimes that can break your heart if you’re not careful. Am I overreacting here? I think not; it was so accessible I find I can relate to his story. Juxtapose that with the fearsome bounty-hunting brute who terrorized the southwest plains dwellers of Raising Arizona with his brutal, yet straightforward action and logic and you can see both the ugliness he was engulfed in and yet see a sensitive child at the center of it. It’s not lyrically written or metaphorically expressive, yet I connected. Good writing.

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