Pete Dexter began his working life with a U.S. Post office in New Orleans, Louisiana. He wasn't very good at mail and quit, then caught on as a newspaper reporter in Florida, which he was not very good at, got married, and was not very good at that. In Philadelphia he became a newspaper columnist, which he was pretty good at, and got divorced, which you would have to say he was good at because it only cost $300.
Dexter remarried, won the National Book Award and built a house in the desert so remote that there is no postal service. He's out there six months a year, pecking away at the typewriter, living proof of the adage What goes around comes around--that is, you quit the post office, pal, and the post office quits you.
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Submitted by Bethanne on Sat, 02/27/2010 - 1:37pm Giveaway: Let Us Now Praise Two Famous Male Authors
Pete Dexter and Richard Russo are two of contemporary literature's best, and I've been fortunate to meet them both in person. They are both quite different -- Dexter is sardonic, Russo ebullient; Dexter lives mainly in Arizona, while Russo lives mostly in Maine -- yet they do have a few similarities, including their mustaches and their ways of capturing the American Male.
Ten of you, randomly selected, will receive copies of both Dexter's "Spooner" and Russo's "That Old Cape Magic," as long as you leave an answer below in the Comments to this question:
What's one defining quality or trait of that singular species, The American Male?
This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winners:
Lauren T.Olivia M.Michele H.Dawn R.Roseann K.Suzanne M.Rafael F.Alisa R.Lisa S.
Submitted by Bethanne on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 5:29pm A Conversation with Pete Dexter -- in audio
If you've never picked up a book by Pete Dexter, "Spooner" might be the best one to read -- or the worst one to read. It's almost impossible to decide, because "Spooner" is a novel that defies analysis, categorization, and casual summation. It's the story of...Pete Dexter.
Pete Dexter's is actually a story worth reading (unlike the tales of many others among us, which might not even merit a blog entry, let alone a hefty novel). The author of "Paris Trout" and "Deadwood" began his professional life as a journalist -- but after a 1981 incident that left him severely injured, Dexter turned to fiction writing. He's also written many screenplays, including those for "Rush," "Michael," and "Mulholland Falls" -- allowing him to live a relatively solitary life divided between the Arizona desert and Puget Sound.
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On the Literature Map, the closer two authors are located next to each other, the more likely that a person will like both of them. The map is experimental and based on the input of users. (We think it's kind of neat!)
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