The Art Snob Archive

Eggers - Oct 20 2006

The “Pre-Review”
Judging a book by its hype: Dave Eggers’ What is the What

One of the most distinguished characteristics of the art snob, dear readers, is our tendency to judge things not by their artistic merit but by the magnitude of their hype. Why bother actually viewing a film if you already know the director is an art school grad with an obsession for old Humphrey Bogart movies? Why even listen to that new band’s CD when you’ve already heard they like synths, hand claps, and tight jeans? You know it’s going to be good, so why waste the time actually reviewing it?

This is exactly the philosophy I have embraced for this week’s column, in which I attempt to write Imprint’s first “pre-review.” Today, the 20^th of October, marks the release of What is the What, the newest literary experiment from Hipster God Dave Eggers. Without even touching the book, I am quite prepared to offer it a five star rating.

Since the release of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius in 2000, Dave Eggers has been celebrated as one of America’s greatest new writers. Some have gone so far as to exalt him as the “saviour of American letters,” the next Jack Kerouac, Jesus Christ incarnate. We art snobs, attracted as we are to such over-exaggeration, agree with his canonization, and have watched in wonder as this literary virtuoso has revitalized the American novel, taking all that is good about Kerouac, Joyce and Vonnegut and adding his own brand of hilarious, aching honesty.

Long before Jonathan Safran Foer ended a novel with a flip book, Eggers was integrating clip-art, floor plans and photography into his writing. He wrote a short story called There Are Some Things He Should Keep to Himself, the entirety of which was composed of five blank pages. When he actually does write, his words take the form of what critic Stephanie Merritt called “caffeine-fuelled stream of consciousness.” Unlike the experimentation of Pynchon and Woolf, however, Eggers’ rambling is revealing, funny and coherent. (Not to say anything bad about Pynchon and Woolf, though! We Art Snobs pretend to understand them all the time!)

Three stars are thus awarded immediately for originality and awesomeness. There is no doubt that Eggers’ new book will contain his trademark brand of honest, playful hilarity. We’ll ignore the fact that What is the What is supposed to be about the effect of the Sudanese civil war on a starving, beaten down refugee.

A fourth star is given for the author’s massive “street cred.” Besides being a writer, Eggers has been involved in a great deal of publishing and editing, from the satirical Might magazine to various short story collections. His most important contribution has been the creation of McSweeney’s Quarterly, one of the most respected showcases for new literature in the world. Eggers collects young, experimental comic writers like David Foster Wallace, and publishes them in innovative formats that range from fake textbooks to an edition meant to look like a collection of mail flyers. Bravo, Mr. Eggers, for creating in literature a scene akin to what Seattle used to be for music.

The fifth star is awarded simply for the fact that the writer owns a Pirate Supply Store in San Francisco. This is certainly to be admired, not simply because all proceeds go to funding writing clinics for disadvantaged children, but because it’s a pirate supply store . Go to www.826valencia.org/store to see for yourself.

So, dear readers, I advise you to dismiss any reviews you may read of What is the What in the weeks following its release, as they are entirely unnecessary. Dave Eggers carries with him enough hype and cred to assume that all he creates is perfection, so why bother actually reading the thing? To be a successful art snob, you must learn the advantages of judging a book not just by how awesome the cover art is, but also by how hip and influential the writer appears to be.

posted by HLL @ Thursday, October 19, 2006