The Solitary Vice Miscellany
1. "Early in her erudite and witty new work, Mikita Brottman, a professor of humanities at the Maryland Institute College of Art, notes the recent profusion of "books about books," ranging from lists of books we "must" read before we die to thoughtful studies of the novel by prominent authors like Jane Smiley. But when she starts her own contribution to the genre by provocatively comparing reading with masturbation—"the solitary vice," as it was known in the Victorian Age—we know we're in for a wild literary ride."—Shelf Awareness
2. Brottman acknowledges that nothing has given her pure, unadulterated pleasure as much as reading. For her, reading is an addiction. Like all addictions, it had its downsides, especially during her early years.
"I read all the time, [but] there were some things that reading did for me that were not positive," she said. "It alienated me from my family, and my country. It gave me an idealized picture of romance and what the world was like. And it made me socially dysfunctional."—Interviewed by Geeta Sharma-Jensen in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
3. Author is reading with Eileen Myles and Matthew Sharpe in the inaugural St. Marks Bookshop Reading Series, Thurs, March 27th.
4. Pictures from book party last week at the fabulous Atomic Books in Baltimore.
