A review by carolinamariereads
MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction by Chad Harbach
3.0
The MFA section contains the best-written and most on-topic essays in the book. I wasn't satisfied with the range of viewpoints represented in the NYC section—this book would be better balanced with a more commercial author's viewpoint who supports themselves financially by writing. After the MFA vs. NYC sections, the book loses focus.
It's important to note that since the book's publication in 2014, the publishing industry has had its own reckoning with the #MeToo movement. Reading the books's interview with Lorin Stein, a snippet from Stephen Elliot, and an essay about Gordon Lish is, frankly, unpleasant, knowing what we now know. The inclusion of these pieces gives an interesting insight into the attitudes toward this stuff in publishing: a brief two-page essay about Gordon Lish, who sexually harassed the writer of the essay, ends with "He's a culprit and a manipulator. I know it sounds like all I'm doing is dissing Lish. He's a prick for sure, but he did something very particular for me ... and I have to be thankful for him." I truly do not understand this attitude—is it not OK to "diss" someone who used his power to harass you?—so reading these essays and interviews is confusing but enlightening.
It's important to note that since the book's publication in 2014, the publishing industry has had its own reckoning with the #MeToo movement. Reading the books's interview with Lorin Stein, a snippet from Stephen Elliot, and an essay about Gordon Lish is, frankly, unpleasant, knowing what we now know. The inclusion of these pieces gives an interesting insight into the attitudes toward this stuff in publishing: a brief two-page essay about Gordon Lish, who sexually harassed the writer of the essay, ends with "He's a culprit and a manipulator. I know it sounds like all I'm doing is dissing Lish. He's a prick for sure, but he did something very particular for me ... and I have to be thankful for him." I truly do not understand this attitude—is it not OK to "diss" someone who used his power to harass you?—so reading these essays and interviews is confusing but enlightening.