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June 27, 2007
Why New York Times senior editor Dwight Garner is crazy about novelist Barry Eisler
From Garner's June 17, 2007 New York Times Sunday Book Review "TBR" column:
- Facts, Checked:
This column has gone out of its way more than once to praise novelists who bother to identify, and when possible to correct, errors that creep into their books. So it was a treat to find out about Barry Eisler’s books — he’s a former C.I.A. employee who writes thrillers about a half-Japanese, half-American freelance assassin named John Rain — and also to discover his Web site. On it, you’ll find a detailed, witty “mistakes” page that makes you trust everything else he writes all the more. Eisler is willing to suffer for veritas. About one mistake he writes: “The stun gun Rain uses on Crawley in Chapter 9 of ‘Rain Storm (Choke Point)’ would not have left marks (I know because I took a fan’s advice after the fact and... that’s right, zapped myself with a stun gun. Hurts like hell and leaves welts).” At other times, Eisler can sound almost dainty: “In Chapter 36 of ‘The Last Assassin,’ Delilah says ‘Enchantez,’ ” he writes. “This of course should be ‘Enchantée’ because the word is a feminine adjective, not a verb. Pardonnez-moi.” D’accord! Eisler’s new novel, “Requiem for an Assassin,” is No. 26 on the extended fiction list.
Hey, wait a minute — I've got a detailed (witty? you be the judge) "mistakes page" too: in fact, I'm tempted to rename bookofjoe "detailed, (witty?) mistakes."
I like it.
Full disclosure: I have never met Barry Eisler. I have never spoken to Barry Eisler. I have, however read his books and in fact reviewed one back on January 6, 2005. He was kind enough to send me a nice note and copies of his subsequent books, which I also enjoyed immensely.
I'd invite him to join my crack research team™ but he's probably too busy doing other stuff.
Don't you think?
June 27, 2007 at 12:01 PM | Permalink
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Comments
WOW! I am truly impressed with your reach! To use "doing" in a sentence and
thus get to link Prince's 'Raspberry Beret' to it is a neat stunt....and I must say, Joe, (if I may digress) a little wild for the bookof
:)
Posted by: pambamboo | Jun 29, 2007 12:43:04 AM
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