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Revision as of 22:21, 12 February 2008 editVersageek (talk | contribs)Edit filter managers, Autopatrolled, Checkusers, Administrators38,588 editsm Reverted 1 edit by 150.131.71.53.← Previous edit Revision as of 02:37, 10 March 2008 edit undo69.123.112.18 (talk) →WorksNext edit →
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:"'']'' is a pretty vicious parody of '']''. 'My intention is to blast Orwell,' Reed says. 'I’m really doing my best to annihilate him.' He not only shanghais Orwell’s story, but amps up and mocks the writer’s famously flat, didactic style–that fairytailish simplicity that has ensured Animal Farm a place in high school English classes for the last 50 years." :"'']'' is a pretty vicious parody of '']''. 'My intention is to blast Orwell,' Reed says. 'I’m really doing my best to annihilate him.' He not only shanghais Orwell’s story, but amps up and mocks the writer’s famously flat, didactic style–that fairytailish simplicity that has ensured Animal Farm a place in high school English classes for the last 50 years."


:<i>]</i> editorialized that a fortnight's work would not undo Orwell's legacy. The Orwell estate objected to Reed’s use of '']''. The estate had recently weathered the release and publication of a handwritten list of "crypto-communists" that ] gave to the ] at the onset of the "]," a phrasing first employed by Orwell. The list of authors, artists and various politically active personages consisted of over one hundred names (the number is often mistakenly put at thirty-seven, which was the number of names previously released by the British Secret Service). Though the list does sport some unpleasant language and descriptions, the overall consequences of the list are debatable. Reed's work was interpreted as anti-Orwell. Throughout 2002/03, '']'' (a parody of '']'') was engaged in ongoing litigation with the estate of ]; detractors of '']'' raised the question of copyright infringement, as was reported in <i>]</i>: :<i>]</i> (London) editorialized that a fortnight's work would not undo Orwell's legacy. The Orwell estate objected to Reed’s use of '']''. The estate had recently weathered the release and publication of a handwritten list of "crypto-communists" that ] gave to the ] at the onset of the "]," a phrasing first employed by Orwell. The list of authors, artists and various politically active personages consisted of over one hundred names (the number is often mistakenly put at thirty-seven, which was the number of names previously released by the British Secret Service). Though the list does sport some unpleasant language and descriptions, the overall consequences of the list are debatable. Reed's work was interpreted as anti-Orwell. Throughout 2002/03, '']'' (a parody of '']'') was engaged in ongoing litigation with the estate of ]; detractors of '']'' raised the question of copyright infringement, as was reported in <i>]</i>:


:" Hamilton , of London, said: 'If it were a straight parody, I would say 'Good on you.' But this book seems to take rather than give.’ Reed said: 'I think that Orwell, were he still alive, would far rather be with me in my hovel than sitting in some corporate office preparing lawsuits.'" :" Hamilton , of London, said: 'If it were a straight parody, I would say 'Good on you.' But this book seems to take rather than give.’ Reed said: 'I think that Orwell, were he still alive, would far rather be with me in my hovel than sitting in some corporate office preparing lawsuits.'"

Revision as of 02:37, 10 March 2008

For other people named John Reed, see John Reed (disambiguation).
John Reed

John Reed (b. 1969) is an American author and novelist.

Biography

Reed received his MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in the mid-1990s, with authors Amanda Filipacchi, Jonathan Ames, Matthew Sharpe, Dave Johnson, Claudia Rankine, Monica de la Torre and writer/director James Gunn. Reed was an early contributor to, and subsequently an editor with, Open City, a New York literary journal published by Robert Bingham, who later founded the book series. He is also affiliated with the New York Press and The Brooklyn Rail. "Americans are extremely sophisticated in terms of narrative forms," said Reed in an interview. "We see it in commercials, we see it on TV, we see it in movies. But the narrative forms we're talking about are three acts, five acts, depending on how you want to look at it. They're all based on a Christian model of sin, suffering, redemption; which is not a large model."

Works

  • A Still Small Voice (Delacorte 2000, Delta 2001), Reed’s first novel, is a historical novel based on the life of a girl growing up in Kentucky from 1850-1870.
"Snowball's Chance is a pretty vicious parody of Animal Farm. 'My intention is to blast Orwell,' Reed says. 'I’m really doing my best to annihilate him.' He not only shanghais Orwell’s story, but amps up and mocks the writer’s famously flat, didactic style–that fairytailish simplicity that has ensured Animal Farm a place in high school English classes for the last 50 years."
The Daily Telegraph (London) editorialized that a fortnight's work would not undo Orwell's legacy. The Orwell estate objected to Reed’s use of Animal Farm. The estate had recently weathered the release and publication of a handwritten list of "crypto-communists" that George Orwell gave to the British Secret Service at the onset of the "Cold War," a phrasing first employed by Orwell. The list of authors, artists and various politically active personages consisted of over one hundred names (the number is often mistakenly put at thirty-seven, which was the number of names previously released by the British Secret Service). Though the list does sport some unpleasant language and descriptions, the overall consequences of the list are debatable. Reed's work was interpreted as anti-Orwell. Throughout 2002/03, The Wind Done Gone (a parody of Gone with the Wind) was engaged in ongoing litigation with the estate of Margaret Mitchell; detractors of Snowball's Chance raised the question of copyright infringement, as was reported in The Australian Age:
" Hamilton , of London, said: 'If it were a straight parody, I would say 'Good on you.' But this book seems to take rather than give.’ Reed said: 'I think that Orwell, were he still alive, would far rather be with me in my hovel than sitting in some corporate office preparing lawsuits.'"
Animal Farm has raised issues of borrowing on its own; Orwell's parable is notably similar to a short story written in 1879-80 by Russian Historian, Nikolay Kostomarov. The work, titled, "The Animal Riot," was first published in 1917.
  • The Whole, Reed’s third novel, parodied MTV and was released in 2005 by MTV Books (Simon & Schuster). The novel described a gigantic hole that appears in the middle of the country, which engulfs four states.

External links

References

  1. Interview with John Reed, David Shankbone, Wikinews, October 18, 2007.
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