NEW BOOKS NETWORK PODCAST -- INTERVIEW WITH JEROME CHARYN

The author of more than 50 novels, biographies, histories, graphic novels, and collections, Jerome Charyn once proclaimed that his ultimate goal in writing novels has been “to make the reader cry...to break the reader’s heart.” With its stunning, unforgettable portrayal of the forces of light and darkness, Ravage & Son delivers on the author’s aim, presenting humanity in its fully formed depravity, but also capturing life’s poignancy.

The interview focuses on Ravage & Son, but Charyn and I discuss other aspects of his renowned career, including discussion of writing style, research, literary influences, and more. Charyn is arguably the most famous writer most readers have never heard of, a bestseller in France and other parts of Europe, and a true “writer’s writer” who continues to publish acclaimed books while being lauded by major authors including Joyce Carol Oates, Michael Chabon, Don DeLillo, and a long list of others. He is a distinctive voice in American literary history.

Bob Batchelor is an award-winning cultural historian and biographer. His latest books are Roadhouse Blues: Morrison, the Doors, and the Death Days of the Sixties and Stan Lee: A Life. Visit him on the web at www.bobbatchelor.com or email at bob@bobbatchelor.com

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EXCLUSIVE -- Excerpt from Stan Lee: A Life

Exclusive! Read Excerpt From Stan Lee: A Life by Bob Batchelor

Fans who have been waiting to catch Stan Lee: A Life by award-winning cultural historian and biographer Bob Batchelor can now read an exclusive excerpt at Forces of Geek, one of the premiere pop culture websites publishing today. Over the years, millions of fans have been entertained by FOG, which delivers outstanding columnists and opinion, reviews, and insightful analysis of geek culture from today and our nostalgia-tinged youths.

Exclusive! Read an Excerpt From ‘Stan Lee: A Life’ by Bob Batchelor

Exclusive! Read an Excerpt From Stan Lee: A Life by Bob Batchelor

Stefan Blitz is FOG editor-in-chief. In the introduction to the excerpt, he also revealed that Batchelor “will be joining the site next year.” He will be writing a column on Gen X and other popular culture topics.

On Stan Lee: A Life, Blitz explains, “Take the opportunity to check out an exclusive excerpt from his fantastic book, which might be the last word on one of pop culture’s most inimitable icons.”

The excerpt, “How the Marvel Universe Conquered the Globe,” is the first chapter from Stan Lee: A Life.

Stan Lee: A Life by cultural historian Bob Batchelor

Forces of Geek — your home to discover and embrace the unknown, the forgotten, and the beloved from popular culture — has published an exclusive excerpt from Stan Lee: A Life (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022).

“While there are generations of great science fiction films and action movies, the difference between the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the others is voice…The Marvel feeling is so ingrained in the heads of fandom that it feels subconscious. It’s driven by Lee’s voice. No matter who directs an MCU film or plays a superhero or supervillain, the internal consistency prevails: Thor’s humor and stilted formality, Iron Man’s snark, Spider-Man’s relentless patter and earnestness. This is Stan’s enduring legacy.”

— Bob Batchelor

While some readers might never have thought of the term “voice,” Batchelor breaks it down via the way the concept is outline by eminent writer Jerome Charyn, one of the most important voices in American literature today.

Charyn describes voice as “music.” Charyn’s concept, although focused on books, can be applied to Lee’s comic book writing:

“Writing…is about the music, it’s about the voice. This is what predominates. The music is all, the music is total, it’s absolute.”

— Jerome Charyn

Stan’s dialogue provided Marvel with a kind of music that readers could hear and matched their internal rhythms, resulting in an experience that transformed them. “It’s music alive with extreme sympathy,” Charyn explained, “there is no space between you and the text.” As a result, readers could feel the Marvel style, while simultaneously that Lee patter paralleled the cultural explosion booming across society. We hear this in the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove and 2001: A Space Odyssey, and J. D. Salinger’s short stories.

Conversations with Jerome Charyn, edited by Sophie Vallas

Conversations with Jerome Charyn provides a fascinating and insightful look inside Charyn's work through his own words -- arguably the most interesting writer alive today. There is no one quite like Charyn -- the depth of the work across several genres is unparalleled.

Yet, while he is a bestseller in France, he is not widely known among American readers, which is pitiful. This is an American artist that should be heralded and studied -- his work transformed historical fiction, detective fiction, and the memoir.

Editor Sophie Vallas should be recognized for pulling the Conversations book together and her diligence in studying Charyn. Her interviews with the author contained in the book demonstrate a deep commitment to understanding this important writer. I appreciate the University of Mississippi publishing this series. I look forward to this book coming out in paperback, which will make it more affordable and widely available.

Sergeant Salinger by Jerome Charyn

If you love great literature, do yourself a favor and pick up a book by Charyn. I recommend Sergeant Salinger, his latest.