Community #8 Dave Eggers

Ok SO I finally got round to reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and you know what, I am elated! I have emerged, bleary eyed, with a smile on my face. Oh I had real wrangles with you, Eggers. I tussled with you for months (or possibly weeks) over this (The stapler? Come on!). But I think, at the end of the day, this was my own fault. I didn’t want to like you. I admit it. I thought you were being ‘cool’ and ‘witty’ and the ‘being concious of the self-conciousness of this book makes it ok’ thing was all a clever trick. But lo! the damage is done and I have swooned at your feet and I want to meet your little brother and get in and understand your idea of HUMAN RELATIONS and all that:

‘True community cannot be political’

BAM. You said it.

Yes, I am addicted to McSweeney’s/The Believer/Wholphin. Yes I want to attend past talks entitled “‘What’s Eating Dave Eggers?’: The Disruptive Dialogue Between Fiction and Memoir”. Yes. Yes. Oh dear, yes.

Those of you who haven’t read the aforementioned title, might you consider it? Apologies for this post, which will probably make little sense to you right now (but will soon be crystal clear if you pick up that book!). I read the edition which includes the amendments section at the back (mistakes we knew we were making), and I would highly recommend doing the same. If only because the community thing is explained there.