Writers in Italy: Le Conversazioni

May 31, 2007 7:53 AM

Le Conversazioni: Last summer a group of writers including David Foster Wallace, Zadie Smith, Jonathan Franzen, and Jeffrey Eugenides gathered on the Isle of Capri to discuss language and identity. This year's lineup includes Ethan Coen, Martin Amis, Ian McEwan, Claire Messud, and Chuck Palahniuk.
posted by mattbucher (8 comments total)

"De plane! De plane!"

"Welcome!...to Pretension Island!"

(Seriously, good find. This year's sounds WAY cooler, though.)
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:02 AM on May 31, 2007

Doing something like this and don't publicizing it at all was very dumb. I found about it after it was finished on the local newspaper.

This time I'm prepared: anyone coming? :)
posted by darkripper at 8:12 AM on May 31, 2007

Is the transcript of David Foster Wallace's portion of the discussion 1,000 pages long with extensive footnotes? inquiring minds want to know.
posted by MikeMc at 8:14 AM on May 31, 2007 [1 favorite]

The main link to YouTube is actually fairly light on content. The real meat is at the site itself: there's full multimedia and transcripts. Really cool find.
posted by BackwardsCity at 10:06 AM on May 31, 2007 [1 favorite]

Thanks, BackwardsCity. I had trouble finding those exact links.
posted by mattbucher at 10:25 AM on May 31, 2007

Why does David Foster Wallace always come across as the quintessential grad student, yet doesn't become such a caricature that it is annoying?
posted by geoff. at 11:12 AM on May 31, 2007

If it turns out that Ethan Coen guts Martin Amis with a large knife, I will be pleasantly surprised.
posted by COBRA! at 11:55 AM on May 31, 2007

Why does David Foster Wallace always come across as the quintessential grad student, yet doesn't become such a caricature that it is annoying?

I think it's the facial hair.

Also, if the brawl COBRA! envisions does occur at next year's event...my money's on Palahniuk. Dude is pretty ripped.
posted by voltairemodern at 1:44 PM on May 31, 2007