Today on The Daily Beast: Christ Matthews-- host of Hardball, bestselling author, survivor of malaria-- asks whether Losing Mum and Pup satisfies JFK's criterion for biographical success (i.e., Does it compelling convey what its subject was like?). Its an interesting question, and a complicated one. Here are some key excerpts:
"If [Buckley] left some things out as he takes us through his parents’ last months, it’s like one of those plays by Harold Pinter. What he doesn’t say says a lot."
"As you read Buckley’s story of the year in which he lost both parents, there’s a “life goes on” quality to it all. He seems to be saying in numerous ways that, given it all—the spats, the toughness—the palpable love between his parents won in the end."
In last week's Weekend Edition, Scott Simon met up with Twelve's Christopher Buckley to discuss his parents-- Patricia and William F. Buckley-- the subjects of his new memoir LOSING MUM AND PUP. There are many revelations about the pair, some of them funny, some of them more raw. Of the dynamics of the glamorous pair, he says,
He was the intellectual and she had beauty and style, so together they made really for quite a formidable pair. But when it's your mom and your dad, that's not the most important thing. The most important thing with your mom or dad is your relationship with them."
On April 20, 1999, two boys left an indelible stamp on the American psyche. Their goal was simple: to blow up their school, Oklahoma City-style, and to leave "a lasting impression on the world." Their bombs failed, but the ensuing shooting defined a new era of school violence--irrevocably branding every subsequent shooting "another Columbine."
In the video below, Dave Cullen--author of Twelve's April 2009 title COLUMBINE-- discusses the 10-year odyssey of researching and writing the book the Chicago Tribune calls the book, "An astonishingly comprehensive look at the incident and the decade of struggle in its aftermath." The book-- an astonishing account of two good students with lots of friends who would ultimately evolve into cold-blooded killers-- is out in hardcover this month.
The Falcon, the eccentric, remote patriarch-figure who presides over Apologize, Apologize!, is many things: Dickens scholar, obsessive ornithologist, cunning businessman, epic terminator of employees. When he first arrives on the scene, we can tell that he's a bit different from the other people in Collie's family.
A sparrow couldn't fall from a tree without eliciting wildly divergent commentary from Ma and Pop and Uncle Tom, who made up the adult members of my immediate household. Looming in the distance, constant and reminding, was my maternal grandfather, Peregrine Lowell, a man of expansive wingspread we called the Falcon, who roosted at great heights, poised to fly in and finish off lesser birds in midplummet.
In this post, Liz Kelly explains the source material behind this impenetrable figure. Apparently, it has a lot to do with Rupert Murdoch; read on to see.
Similarities:
Peregrine Lowell has one nickname, The Falcon. Rupert Murdoch has several including, Red Rupert, Dirty Digger, Koala Kong, and Rotten Old Bastard. Despite their reputations as old-style newspaper guys, the obvious sobriquet, "Scoop" has eluded both.
The Falcon's company is called Thought-Fox Inc. (after a Ted Hughes poem); Murdoch owns Fox Entertainment Group--editors and writers alike compete to see who can resist the temptation to declare each of the billionaire barons to be, "crazy--like a fox!"
Their families reveal that both CEOs like to review their newspapers over breakfast--nothing like the smell of eviscerated journos in the morning. Neither Falcon nor Rupert is likely to dance on Ellen. The Falcon has a vulgar, obscenity-spewing parrot called Carlos: Murdoch has Bill O'Reilly.
Murdoch has a reputation for using his media outlets to attack opponents. The Falcon, a bird enthusiast, once wrote a guest editorial in one of hissmall-town newspapers championing the rights of songbirds by banning outdoorcats. Biographer Michael Wolff describes Rupert Murdoch as a "manipulativebastard." The Falcon's daughter is writing a roman a clef about her fathercalled The Bastard.
As children of privilege, both were born with silver spoons in their mouths; as employers, they're more likely to be found with, "one foot up your ass."
Like Fidel Castro and Kim Jong il, the Falcon and Murdoch, reject the concept of retirement at any age. Interestingly, the people around them compulsively dream of "Freedom 25" or death's sweet release.
Differences:
The most interesting thing about the Falcon is his character; the most interesting thing about Murdoch is his penchant for wearing singlets.
Falcon's daughter, Anais, accuses him of murdering her mother; Murdoch's daughter, Prudence, reveals that he dyes his own hair in the kitchen sink.
Both men have grandchildren, although Rupert Murdoch rejects the traditional route of relying on his children and prefers to produce his own.
Falcon is a Dickens scholar who writes authoritative books on the subject. Rupert Murdoch published Jenna Jameson's How to Make Love like a Porn Star.
Rupert Murdoch famously fired Judith Regan and Jane Friedman--Falcon famously hired one woman: his maid Ingrid.
Neither man suffers fools gladly, though Murdoch makes exception for Bono.
BEHIND THE BOOK: Henry Alford dishes on "How To Live"
This month, Twelve is proud to publish How to Live: A Search for Wisdom from Old People (While They Are Still On This Earth). Publishers Weekly has called it one of the year's best books, and Vanity Fair has lauded the book for its "intellectual nimbleness," finding it "on par with Wilde and Benchley." Here, Henry answers questions posed by a mysterious stranger-- identified as Q-- summing up what it was like to write the book. You can visit Henry Alford's fabulous website here.
Q: So, what's the wisest thing in the book? A: There's an Indonesian fisherman named SalamaKalathalay who saw portents of doom on the morning of the tsunami in 2003, and was able to save thousands of lives by telling his fellow tribe members to climb a local mountain.
Q: Nice...And didn't I read somewhere that your mother and stepfather's 23 year-long marriage erupted into flames as a result of this book? A: Yes. They were NOT able to climb a local mountain.
Q: And, now that you've finished writing the book, what was your favorite part of working on it? A: I will always cherish the time I spent with Sylvia Miles in her bathroom.
Q: Yes, that would be a high point for anyone...Well, I've heard a lot of buzz about "How to Live," so I'm predicting good things for you. A: My only worry is that I'll run into the literary equivalent of the Bradley Effect--people who *SAY* they're interested in a book about old people but who, when they get in the store, buy a book about young people.
Q: I hate those people. A: Thank you for your anger, Q.
Today on The Daily Beast: Christ Matthews-- host of Hardball, bestselling author, survivor of malaria-- asks whether Losing Mum and Pup satisfies JFK's criterion for biographical success (i.e., Does it compelling convey what its subject was like?). Its an interesting question, and a complicated one. Here are some key excerpts:
