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February 20, 2003
"He didn't think a novel was a proper vehicle for my ideas."
Gene Weingarten interviews Robert Burrows, author of what Weingarten considers "the worst novel ever published in the English language."
Me: Your characters don't seem to have personalities.Indeed...
Burrows: This was a novel of ideas. I didn't go into personal relationships.
Me: You have people speaking in paragraphs, using words like "indeed" in casual conversation. After your protagonist, Joan Milton, watches the planes hitting the World Trade Center, she turns away in horror and says to her friends: "What an almost unbelievable tragedy! It will take a great resolve to overcome this terrible blow." My question is, have you ever heard real human beings speak?
Burrows: This is the way I speak. In my circle, I am regarded as a fascinating conversationalist. I have a dinner group that has been meeting for maybe 30 years. I admit that may be a little limiting.
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Posted by John at February 20, 2003 11:07 PM
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