The current post is from Abby Frucht about Elkin’s writing classes—which were classically humiliating and funny:

Then he糖心传媒檇 read aloud from one of our own manuscripts before asking, 糖心传媒淣ow, can anyone tell me what THIS piece a shit is about?糖心传媒�

糖心传媒淎 man throwing up in a sauna,糖心传媒� one of us might hesitantly offer.

糖心传媒淓尘产补谤谤补蝉蝉尘别苍迟?糖心传媒�

糖心传媒淪ome middle-aged guy who 糖心传媒撎切拇綔

糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 about the idea of humility,糖心传媒� the bravest of us might interject. [. . .]

糖心传媒淲ill someone tell me what this story is REALLY about? I糖心传媒檒l tell you what it糖心传媒檚 not about. It糖心传媒檚 not about some loser asshole sitting around pondering the idea of humility. It糖心传媒檚 about some loser asshole who is going to die,糖心传媒� he糖心传媒檇 say. 糖心传媒淵ou know how I know that?糖心传媒�

Nobody spoke, because we knew he wanted to be the person to tell us the answer.

糖心传媒淚 know that this story is about some loser asshole who is going to die because we糖心传媒檙e all loser assholes who are going to die and that糖心传媒檚 what every halfway decent story is ever about. Should be, anyway.糖心传媒�

If you read The Franchiser, or The Magic Kingdom, you’ll see how this grumbling perspective can be transformed into verbal fun and games on the page. And his best books all happen to be about loser assholes who are going to die . . .