The Originals, Renewed
Be gentle with yourself this month. February is the pink of a horizon, tinged with the yellow of a sun not yet risen. Take these readings slowly, at your own pace this month. The future is a whole world yet to come, so spin it exactly as you wish. Sending you love (and metaphorical ice cream).
But First, Books
Last year, I read Frankenstein for my first time. In its pages, I found prose that could cut diamond and strikingly original ideas (hello predecessor to WestWorld?). It made me want to delve into some classics to understand the origin point of paradigms in pop culture. Here are four in the zeitgeist:
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann: I read this a few years back when the 50th anniversary edition first came out, before I knew that it was a cult classic movie starring Sharon Tate, and before the fictional alternate ending to Tate’s life was told in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The novel follows four women struggling in NYC and their meteoric rise to the top…and of course, their iconic downfalls. I see a few tropes here still popular in the modern day. First is the trope of four distinct women who are best friends, and their problems center around incestuously dating the same men. In Torrey Peter’s Detransition, Baby, she says all women struggle with the Sex and the City Problem - which of the four women are you? I would argue that before the Sex and the City Problem, there was the Valley of the Dolls problem. For a 2022 release that dives into the SATC problem (thankfully featuring more diversity than SATC), check out Wahala by Nikki May. Secondly, Valley of the Dolls is also an interrogation of wellness industries that eat their own muses. I see this coming into our literary conscience, such as in The Atmospherians by Alex McElroy or Self Care by Leigh Stein.
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton: I had not heard of Wharton until last year, but now I can’t stop seeing references to her work! This year, I have three books by her on my TBR, including the beautiful copy pictured here (fun fact, the cover art is by South Asian artist Manjit Thapp). TAOI was far ahead of its time, tearing past the marriage plot and looking at the complications of life that emerge after the wedding (more on plots in my next newsletter!!). To delve deeper into its stronghold on literature today, check out this article.
The Plague by Albert Camus: I mean…if you don’t know why this is relevant please go put your mask on right now. This new translation is everything. Translated by Laura Marris (check out @adastra_stories on the importance of women in translation), this newly minted edition “[restores'] the restrained lyricism of the original French text, and liberating it from the archaisms and assumptions of the previous English translation, Marris grants English readers the closest access we have ever had to the meaning and searing beauty of The Plague.”
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov: I have been desperate to read this one. Once obscure, I now hear it come up again and again. I see it reissued under new translations and covers, and when I read the descriptions, I think of Alice in Wonderland and early Haruki Murakami, of Catch-22 and Vonnegut. I am not sure what I will find, but I know it is richly complex and treasured by those who have traversed it. I’ll report back once I get there!
Editions Worth Hunting
Also - speaking of the old made new, Toni Morrison is pure perfection, and some of her books are getting new wrapping from the UK publisher Vintage Books. I am figuring out how to get my hands on these (they are out Feb 3), but until then, feel free to drool over this reel with me.
On My Mind
Happy Lunar New Year! Here are four recipes from Asian chefs to make to celebrate.
Even after vaccination, why are we so anxious? This Vice article pinpoints a lot of the aftermath (and “current-math”) of what we are going through. This quote especially stuck with me: “I think what people are realizing is that we've been profoundly impacted, and things have really shifted, such that the ‘normal’ that they thought they're returning to doesn't really feel the same way.”
One of my favorite prolific internet writers and novelist is Alex McElroy - read this article by them in the NY Times on the new face of toxic masculinity: the softboi.
I am a fan of the online discourse on the value of work, productivity, and self-esteem. This article from The Atlantic asks pointedly, “Who would you be if work was no longer the axis of your life?”
When Hunter writes, expect it to BITE. She goes into a new Hollywood art form - the celebrity apology. From this interview, it sounds like a mixture of art, therapy, and criminal law?
Is diversity in dolls really impacting kids’ self esteem? This article in Allure points out that ultimately, market availability does not equate to true progress. Not when dolls are still overly gendered, boys are policed against playing with them, and dolls still serve to uncover our social biases.
Im adding all of these to the tbr