Good review. Personally, I strongly disagreed with much of RH, and also what he thinks about other art (I think Rothko is a sham), but at the same time he made it all interesting, and he produced a lot of new thought that forces the reader to focus on the problems of contemporary lit. I agree with him about the fact traditional fiction is losing its importance in today’s culture, and some of his reasons why, but I think there are plenty of satisfying and eclectic novels out there, and that writers should keep writing them.

Here’s my recent interview of Shields (linked from the Rumpus) where we debate Reality Hunger: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/15/david-shields-the-novel-d_n_462866.html

Best,

Caleb