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S7E34: Graphomaniacs with Max Lawton (Patreon)

Published:
2023-10-10 04:57:38
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

Writer/Translator Max Lawton and Bret Easton Ellis discuss collaborating with Vladimir Sorokin, publishing fiction in contemporary Russia and the crucial part diligence can play in creating genius. Part 1 of 2.

Files

Previews only

Comments

Oleg

i was really surprised by this introduction of sorokin. great discussion.

Tomi Hautakangas

Here's one aspect of Russian book market and why it's so void of talent. It's under the control of the secret service FSB. "One of the first indicators of Russia preparing for a full-scale turn into dictatorship and a global war was the mass production of books praising Stalin and Stalinism and welcoming upcoming war against the West. These books appeared on Russian bookshelves in early 2010s. The appearance was so massive that it could not be a coincidence on a book market which was under a strict control of secret police FSB. "Be proud, not sorry! Truth about Stalin Age" "Stalinist's Handbook", "Stalin's Repressions: A Great Lie" and "Beria: Best XXCent Manager" The wave of stalinist books was so massive, that in 2011 a grass-root initiative "Stop Publishing Stalinists Books" emerged with a call for publishing houses to stop. It was ignored of course." https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1707407873603428717.html

Andrew Hearne

A Terrible Country by Keith Gessen, a novel set in modern day Moscow, is well worth checking out.

Moz

Culture isn’t dead after all! Great episode

Patrick

Excellent all around. Can’t wait for part two! 🤗

Seneca Garcia

Fascinating guest. My way into On the Road was ordering the cds of Matt Dillon reading the book - most definitely a recommendation

richard owain roberts

am going to listen on my run. will say more later, after my run.

Artem Karapetian

just a small remark. according to russian "anti-gay" law, books with gay characters cannot be published (e.g. "the shards").

Artemis Fedorchuk
>>119573254

Reminds me of when Lady Gaga did a concert in Russia and promoted gay rights, nearly getting her arrested. Iconic moment.

Justin

Great guest. Looking forward to part 2.

Paul Richardson

A Matter of Life and Death, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and Black Narcissus are the best Powell & Pressburger films (IMO).

Steve

Interesting but he's a bit smug and condescending in a college kid way. Do you really want to read transgressive literature about anal rape? Or does it just sound cool on a podcast?

Nick Funess
>>119589868

He’s smug and condescending in a Columbia grad who started translating for one of Russias premiere writers at the age of 22 way lol I agree with you though lol

Happyhead

Been waiting many years for the name “Celine” to be mentioned on the BEE show

The Sixth Dimension Podcast
>>119589868

I agree but I’m surprised people aren’t as upset as they were with that Alex guy . Clearly Ellis wants to fck this guy and to me this episode was as boring as that one . I don’t understand the difference maybe someone can explain it to me why this guy gets a pass and the Alex guy doesn’t.

Lara
>>119589868

he’s really carved out his russian lit niche, and like bret says in the beginning of the ep, at the end of the day this is pretty nerdy stuff which makes him a lot more endearing than alex, who just kept name-dropping and had no particular interest in anything except maybe reality tv, which everyone can be a philosopher of

Ashley

Off topic, but is anyone else disliking this new Patreon format as much as I am?

Harold B

intelligent guy, good conversation!

Dodge Zelko

Hunter Thompson isn't really a writer lol. Hey we all say things. Overall great interview, just added The Blizzard to my queue.

Happyhead
>>119658533

HST was, first and foremost, a JOURNALIST. There is really no comparison between him and an essayist/novelist like Joan D. He may have aspired to high art but he thrived as a journalist, albeit a new breed that breathed life into a once-dead artform through the bending of reality and inverting the WWWWH hardboiled old school style on its head. That's the key that BEE and Max are missing to get into HSS. He was an absurdist at heart, but a hard boiled journalist for a living. That's how to read and appreciate him. I do wish Bret would give it another shot with Hunter. There's a lot there I think he would appreciate.

Happyhead
>>119589868

While Alex was very clearly and transparently a social grifter of the most disgusting depths, this dude is truly accomplished. And in a niche that is really only appreciated by a handful of people. Let's just say Bret's dick led him in a good direction this time

Iain

Loved every minute of this one. Fascinating. Great episode.

Bazayer

Fantastic guest - looking forward to part 2

Jon S Lunde

I wonder if Bret is watching "The Fall of the House of Usher". It is great, and should be his cup of tea.

GC

Bret needs to seriously get over those tech bros who'd never read a novel. There's always been guys like that. Thirty years ago in my English Lit class there were guys who just scanned the book's blurb and maybe looked at some criticism and winged it from there. Twas ever thus.

Nikki Ferrari

Great episode, love that Adam bleeped out a spoiler about some thing a woman did in beau is afraid.

Mo Ghayour

Paul Schrader’s comment is about the image creation however the usage of imagery through 70’s cinema was maximized for story or character impact, that’s why these films stay with us today and what are missing now. Studying visual culture and the story of film gives you a better understanding than a novelist second guessing Schrader’s commentary to only to go into a talk about Russian cinema is hilarious. In today’s culture you can see how many smart Chinese film makers placate censorship. For example, A Touch of Sin, which was banned and championed by Martin Scorsese for exposure.

Justin

Decided to re-read Glamorama after this episode. Hadn’t read it in many years. Such a shame it was so misunderstood. I really think it’s Bret’s masterpiece and has only gotten better with time.

BrienPiechos

I liked this guy. Would have liked to hear more about his favorite writers and takes on why those books matter. Also dive deeper into Sorokin who I am unfamiliar with.

Bookth
>>119973439

Agreed - maybe it’s because I’m younger and only read for the first time (in sequence after his other books) five years ago - but it was so obviously a huge step up for his writing and ambition. And weirdly, I just couldn’t get down with Lunar Park, which I get as a King riff, but just felt baggy and aimless after how crazily tight Glamorama was.

BrienPiechos
>>119589868

I liked him fine but wholly agree about the second half here. Gay stuff isn't transgressive anymore and it can't be. The rainbow flag replaced the American flag at the top of the White House and on every US embassy. That's culture, not counter culture. You have to be transgressing societal norms that are brutally reinforced when TRANSGRESSED to be transgressive and that's not possible with every western institution brainwashing school children into gender dysphoria and every work environment enforcing the LGBTQ agenda with the consequences for resistance swiftly increasing in both severity and insanity every day. To be transgressive at this point the only vector is to be straight, White, right wing, and a responsible gun owner who just wants to be left alone to raise his family without having to worry about his daughter being raped and murdered by some recent arrival from the Congo the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society dumped into his small community. Or perhaps a Hamas supporter. But there's nothing to be achieved anymore presenting graphic homosexual events in terms of shock or sociopolitical value. Houellebecq sort of understands this but chooses to make his statements through the lens of late middle aged males whose successes are no longer celebrated and express ennui as the world they were a integral part of vanishes around them. The farmer plotline was the closest relevant position I've read in recent fiction, although he handles these issues with sadness rather than fury.

BrienPiechos
>>119611586

Celine could benefit from a good modern translation. I've always found his books unreadable due to how lacking in style and repetitive the translations are. I would have liked to see Houellebecq's translator from the Map and the Territories or the Elementary Particles take a crack at it.

Justin
>>119973439

I agree with you about Lunar Park. Though the emotion conveyed in those final pages sort of saves it for me.

Happyhead
>>119611586

The great grandfather of Bret's whole world. And for my money the best known pure prose writer to ever pick up a pen. Everyone always describes him as "cynical" which is crazy to me since he's obviously gaining great joy from his cynicisms.

Patrick
>>120050552

Totally agree. His nonfiction books like Songs of the Doomed and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72 are fantastic and really well written and very funny. I also have always loved FALILV. Not sure what this not a real writer BS is about.

R. M.

Bret: Please review MASTER GARDNER. I want your take as I thought it was well made, great actors, great set-up and had so much potential but the ball was dropped on the most vital element of the story which completely stifled it's impact and potential into a mundane mediocre film. I will say this: at least when a master film maker like Schrader makes a film, the fucking camera stays still. None of this garbage shaky cinematography (unintentional shakiness) that plagues most modern films and TV shows. Filmmakers: if the camera is moving and it isn't an intentional movement, you aren't doing your job correctly. Period. End of story. The camera should never move unless you direct it to. Too much of this hackery in TV and film now. Thoughts?

Alex Waller
>>120357654

First Reformed and The Card Counter were both amazing, Master Gardener not as good but a solid end to the trilogy

Nik Sysuev

A little disappointing level of knowledge in the discussion of Russian literature and film. I think you could say a little more than "It sucks" about both of those mediums, even in recent times. I am sure that at least Zvyagintsev with 2 Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Film (2017 and 2014) deserves a mention. And in regards to Russian Taxi Driver, I highly recommend "Brother" and "Brother 2" by Balabanov.

Luke Stables

Interesting episode thanks. I've only read Day of the Oprichnik by Sorokin which I liked a lot but did feel perhaps the translation let it down in some way, although this is just a guess since I don't know Russian. (e.g. as far as I remember the translator kept italicizing words which I felt meant something in the Russian that was totally lost in translation.) I wonder what Lawton thought of the translation (Penguin, Jamey Gambrell). Also curious, since Houellebecq came up, why his latest novel still hasn't been translated into English even though it's already been done for most other major European languages, pretty odd. Wonder if Lawton had any ideas?

Alex Holt

Loved this! Looking fwd to p2. I do think that besides the Hard to be a God guy another contemporary, and easier to watch, guy is the Leviathan guy. Most of his stuff hits, and he’s in a coma, which is bad. And Ik I’m reaching…but there’s a Netflix show - an episodic Russian TruenDetective with an acerbic world-weary type at the center, and there’s a hot apprentice. If u like listen to the intonations it’s acc more exploitational/funny than expected. But generally, yeah, ofc you’re right that Russian video content is not good rn

Trey Karn
>>121629092

Translation is always tricky that way. It might also be fair to say it might not be the translation that lets it down, but we as readers might just not like the given style.