Fake Genuine

WHAT distinguished the Underground Literary Alliance from the rest of the literary scene, and caused amid that scene untold anxiety, is that we weren’t pretending. We were, for the most part, authentic grass roots writers. My God, look at Wild Bill Blackolive. He never changed a comma of his prose for anyone. Never sold out. A stand-up, straight shooter.

The literary hipsters who opposed the ULA, on the other hand, at places like McSweeney’s and n+1, were all about the pose of authenticity. It’s pretend with them. And so, Dave Eggers will pretend to be indie, and the n plus one gang will claim to be populists, even rebels, but neither camp will give up their elite status and their relationships to power; so the clothes they wear, the fashion they adopt—their ideas are nothing if not fashion—mean nothing.

A Victory for the ULA

The egregious 11/27/12 Oxford American book review smear by Johannes Lichtman was absolutely a victory for the dormant but still latently powerful Underground Literary Alliance.

The book review is a display of an esteemed literary publication shitting all over itself. A ten year old can see the review for the smear job it is. This gives literary renegades a shorthand way of pointing to the corruption of the literary establishment. Simply give the link, and add that Oxford American editor Roger D. Hodge is best buddies with Tom Bissell. It’s like instant oatmeal. Add water and stir.

Second, the fact of the review shows that the literary establishment remains terrified of the ULA and what it stands for. Terrified enough to blackball us and slam us. Too terrified to engage us.

Third, the fact of any literary rebellion anywhere is a victory for free speech and the reform of our nation’s decayed literature. One literary rebel is one rebel too many for blackballing literary totalitarians like Dave Eggers. “The Dave” and his colleagues at The Believer made it clear at the outset that they’re against literary dissent and disagreement. They’re opposed to everything which makes literature vital. What they want: The blank-minded McSweeney’s  Smiley Face. “Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day.”

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Given today’s lobotomized literary world, the existence of a satirical novel like The McSweeneys Gang is a huge victory for free expression. It’s a blow against all literary totalitarians. Assuredly no one of the timid establishment mice who today call themselves writers and reviewers will review the ebook.

Reading the novel then becomes in itself a blow for the rescue of American literature.

Buy The McSweeneys Gang by King Wenclas at Nook or Kindle now!

An Interesting Take

"ARE WE ALL ULA NOW?"

Here’s a biased but interesting take on the ULA from one year ago, by Jim Hanas, who at the time was (still?) an editor at New York Observer:

https://plus.google.com/117878885489517665945/posts/Z8CC6ZSK6NH#117878885489517665945/posts/Z8CC6ZSK6NH

This shows an intrigued if detached attitude toward us. It also shows the effectiveness of the original campaign in getting the ULA’s name and message into peoples’ heads.

Hanas is wrong about our stance toward Rick Moody. We never hated him. Our grievance against him was solely that he was abusing the arts grant process. Our stated mission was to fight corruption in the literary world. Too bad Jim Hanas doesn’t mention that.

The editor of New York Observer by the way, Elizabeth Spiers, isn’t a fan of ours, at least not at the present time. Like many, she carries the philosophy of the Rod Steiger character in the movie “Doctor Zhivago,” which is: Be on the side that’s winning. This seems to be key to survival in the Manhattan media world.

(Note also the snarky, unnecessary comment from Choire Sicha. If these people detest us when we’re not even around—what happens when we come back??)