Friday, June 02, 2006

The Great American Novel sweepstakes ...

... has concluded: And the Winner Is...

I am not as much of a fan of Huckleberry Finn as everyone else seems to be. Maybe that's because I first read it while a kid in grade school, right after reading Tom Sawyer, which I loved. In fact, I am more temperate in my fondness for Twain than most people, and I think that for a grand theme matched with grand language Moby Dick can't be beat.

But here's a different view: Rolling down the river.

While I'm at it, one novel that isn't on the list of candidates and is a lot better than many that are is Jack London's Martin Eden. In Tom Waits's phrase, "I know Martin Eden's gonna be proud of me ..."

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