Bookforum and NYRB: Book Reviews in the Face of Online Publishing - Written and Edited by Peter Buller

Written and Edited by Peter Buller

In a world taking a troubling turn towards the commodification of art as objects of mass-produced entertainment, decent reviews become rarer finds. Film, video games, and now even books, often have reviews saturated by simple ratings and catchy sound bites. Substantial books become "must-reads," as reviewers insult other titles for excessive length and boring plot. Summarizing a work's parts to a five-star quotient treats books like department store appliances and ignores the subtle complexities of something like a poet's voice, and the stark imagery conjured by this unique facet of a work. So it is disappointing that Amazon--decidedly "invested" in the future of books--defines works by writers like Artaud and Cesaire with regurgitated blurbs and banal scoring systems. Thankfully, though, publications such as Bookforum and The New York Review of Books offer thorough insight into the expressive potential of  books.

Of the two, NYRB offers a more editorial approach to books. Their latest issue features a review of A. David Moody's biography of Ezra Pound next to an extensive piece on Peter Hessler's journalistic ventures in China. At first this tactic feels trite, as if NYRB reviews topical events to sell its readers on the less-vital book reviews. Senior Editor Hugh Eakin even commented that over the years, "the of Books seems to get smaller and smaller." Although it certainly is true that the centre of the cover features three reviews of current events, the publication suffers little from conflicted interest between reporting on the Iran nuclear talks and the latest translation of Sappho's poetry. NYRB tasks its reviewers with utilizing the best of both review styles to superb ends. Jessica Mathews' piece "The New Deal" weaves reporting tactics with artistic interpretations to great effect. Utilizing this style allows her to evade neutrality with bolder statements:

Republicans "sense a major shift in American policy--a desire to cozy up with Iran." But the temporary convergence of American and Iranian interests in defeating ISIS in Iraq would
exist whether nuclear talks were underway or not.

As well as make conclusions more open-minded of the complexity of real-world relations:

The agreement with Iran, if one is finally reached, will not be the end, but a beginning. It
must be strong and carefully framed and minutely monitored, but it need not be watertight
in order for it to ultimately open the way to a permanently nonnuclear Iran.

Mathews utilizes the diversity of NYRB's content to conduct sound points on firm ground, where most reporters struggle to attain amidst similar company. Likewise, book reviews generate more compelling insight. Edith Hall demonstrates this effectively in her review of Diane Rayor's Sappho: A New Translation of the Complete Works. Working in the style of reporters allows Hall to draw in other studies of Sappho. Armed with knowledge of ancient Greek and genuine passion for Sappho's fragments, Hall dissects "Rayor's pedestrian version" and illustrates how the Greek "simply is much better." Historical references explaining Sappho's place in relation to Lesbos' aristocracy illuminate a deeper passion for the subject matter than a review conducted by disgruntled customers. Hall possesses good authority to write on the subject of Sappho, and argues for the superior translations of Josephine Balmer, Anne Carson, and Richmond Lattimore. Ultimately her review carries haunting weight, demonstrated profoundly here:

... Sappho still speaks to us with grace and authority: "You will know that I escaped the
gloom of Hades, and no sun will ever rise on a world which does not know the name of
the lyric poet, Sappho."

In Sappho's lyric words, Hall illuminates the attractive quality which draws poets to Sappho--a quality which Rayor's translation lacks. Although she ends with a poetic note reminiscent of Sontag's critical mastery, her excellent research enforces its importance. This combination not only strengthens Mathews and Hall's articles, but the significance of NYRB as well. Including book reviews next to political issues lends both subjects greater weight. Book releases become as important as turbulent political events, while topical issues crystallize alongside the more artful books. Though it's likely the editors of NYRB include articles on topical events for other reasons, this outcome of their choice reveals another statement. Books matter as much as the politics of our time. Neither needs precedence over the other--why not publish both?

Bookforum takes a different approach. Bookforum doesn't deign to shun political discourse. In the Dec/Jan issue, Chris Bray writes on Shane Harris' @War, a book which "charts the nefarious union of Big Data and Big Surveillance." Similarly, Heather Havrilesky writes on the shallow depths of popular pundit's novels. "In such a Culture of Corruption, if you weren't Going Rogue, you inevitably found yourself Arguing with Idiots." From which Havrilesky notes that, "Americans don't seem to be looking for authors or writers or artists so much as lifestyle brands in human form." Indeed, Bookforum never shirks from commenting on politicized issues; but what distinguishes NYRB and Bookforum is their use of these issues. NYRB balances topical articles with book reviews to the advantage of both. Bookforum, on the other hand, focuses on books first--from which all other discourse blossoms.

This is especially significant given Bookforum's dedication to older books. Unlike NYRB recently released titles, Bookforum highlights works--mostly of poets--which fell under the radar. Poets such as Morris Berman and Hilton Als receive renewed attention after falling into obscurity. Additionally, writers who found success in publishing their works, from Lydia Davis to Lynne Tillman, review books which have gone underappreciated. Bookforum hopes less successful books obtain another chance at gathering an audience. In one article, Jonathan Rethem even celebrates NYRB's attempts to accomplish the same thing:

The NYRB editions of John Williams's Stoner and Renata Adler's Speedboat were as
much the "It Books" of their respective years of republication as anything actually new,
which is pretty crazy, in a good way.

Garnering public interest in forgotten books excites Bookforum as much as more recent titles; which, in turn, suits the style of its reviews. Reviews of newer books like Astra Taylor's "By Any Memes Necessary" and Chris Bray's "Be Afraid" heavily reference the source material with minimal external references. Focus is put on the reviewed book alone to emphasize its importance and attract potential readers. Reviewers of older books may reference other sources; but only insofar as these sources illuminate the importance of the original, exemplified below by Albert Mobilio's review of Maggie Nelson's Bluets:

[Bluets]'s numbered passages recall Susan Sontag's "Notes on Camp" and John Ashbery's "Europe"; its encyclopedic exploration of a color draws on Goethe even as it dissents
from William H. Gass's On Being Blue; and the personal narrative threaded throughout
sounds the piquant, obliquely pitched notes that we find in Lydia Davis's stories and
Nathalie Sarraute's Tropisms.

Mobilio utilizes other writers to solidify Nelson's place among them. Obscure books old and new are welcomed into the literary canon Bookforum at first accepts and second reestablishes as something less elitist than before. Furthermore, Bookforum transforms many eye-catching marketing techniques to new, meaningful methods. Reviews of more recent titles feature the use of article quotations which appear like sound bites; yet pull in readers instead of summarizing an otherwise lengthy article into a short sentence. Astra Taylor's article features, "Like the reutrn of the repressed, the emo element persists and resurfaces, suffusing much of the activity that has put Anonymous on the cultural map." Which makes little sense until after one reads the article's review of Gabriella Coleman's book on the hacking group known as Anonymous. A clever assortment of advertisements also helps cement its dedication to literature, from independent writers and publishers to selected books deserving more love.

Both Bookforum and NYRB represent the more impassioned side of book reviewers. Whether that's by valuing books next to coverage of current events, or analyzing the world through literary spectacles, the result is the same. Books receive a non-scholastic source of discussion, and thus another venue to celebrate their artistic potential; and without likening them to customer reviews like common appliances. Books possess more artisitic potential than the cheap commodity as Amazon sells them. To see established journals like Bookforum and NYRB celebrate books as such should gratify book-lovers everywhere. Online resources may conquer the printing press, but books and their readers will remain so long as reviewers mirror their passion for Art.