From #BookTok to Goodreads, Novelist Brandon Taylor on Why Literary Criticism Is Broken
Aug 29, 2023
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Author Brandon Taylor discusses his latest novel 'The Late Americans' which follows a group in Iowa City navigating art, love, sex, and graduate school. They also explore the changing discourse around books and the expectations placed on authors in the digital age.
Social media has changed the expectations of readers and critics, leading to a different discourse around books.
Brandon Taylor finds inspiration in the messy and intense world of graduate school, and believes it is underrepresented in literature.
Deep dives
The Intuit Book Club and Discourse Around Books
The podcast episode starts by introducing the Intuit Book Club, where the host, Sam Sanders, discusses Brandon Taylor's latest book, The Late Americans. It mentions the impact of social media on the discourse around books and how readers and critics now have different expectations from writers. It also highlights the case of Elizabeth Gilbert canceling the release of her book due to negative reviews on Goodreads before it was even published. The episode aims to explore the changing dynamics of book discourse and how it affects authors and readers.
The Late Americans: A Narrative Relay Race
The Late Americans is a novel by Brandon Taylor that takes place in Iowa City. It follows the lives of a diverse group of people, including poets, dancers, and individuals working in kitchens and meatpacking plants. The story is described as a relay race, where the narrative focuses on one character after another, gradually revealing how their seemingly disconnected lives are deeply interconnected. The novel explores themes of love, joy, sex, parties, hookups, and conflicts, ultimately giving readers a greater understanding of the characters and their lives.
Graduate School as a Setting and Its Unique Challenges
Brandon Taylor, the author, discusses why he is drawn to using the graduate school setting in his writing. He explains that graduate school represents a messy, intense, and somewhat chaotic phase of life filled with adult problems, adult money, and adult misery. He also notes that graduate school is under-documented in literature and art. He suggests that it is an area of life he knows well and that it resonates with many individuals who have experienced the expectations, pressures, and complex dynamics of graduate school.
The Creative Process, Fallow Periods, and Timers
The podcast explores Brandon Taylor's creative process and how it involves periods of intense focus and productivity, followed by fallow periods where he engages in other activities, such as watching movies, talking to friends, or even working on alternative artistic projects. He mentions that these fallow periods are essential for him to recharge and allow ideas to incubate. He also shares his use of a timer to rebuild his stamina for focusing on tasks, gradually increasing the duration of focused work over time. He emphasizes the importance of giving himself grace and maintaining a disciplined approach when it comes to creativity.
For our first Into It Book Club pick, Sam talks to Brandon Taylor about his latest novel The Late Americans. Set in Iowa City, the book follows a group of lovers and friends who are navigating the world of art, love, sex... and graduate school. We also ask about the broader discourse around books today: In the age of #BookTokand Goodreads, what should readers expect from writers? And —for Brandon, in particular — what's the line between reviewing an author's published work and the author himself?
ICYMI, Sam is guest hosting on Vox’s daily news show Today, Explained this week. Listen at https://bit.ly/texwsam.