Kiernan Shipka by Lauren Dukoff
(Source: behindthescreen, via ceedling)
“Let her serve as the backdrop for your thoughts for thirty-five years. Let her see how noble and heroic you are by the twenty-seventh draft. Let her cook you wonderful meals and light candles for your dinner. Let her get everything ready to make you happy and then see the look on your stone face when you come in at night and sit down at the table. A surprise for dinner? Oh, my dear girl, that is merely his due for a miserable day of bad writing. That gets no rise out of him. And candles in the old pewter holders? Candles, after all these years? How poignant of her, he thinks, how vulgar, what a wistful souvenir of yesterday’s tearooms. Yes, have her run hot baths for your poor back twice a day, and then go a week without being talked to—let alone being touched in bed. Ask him in bed, ‘What is it, dear, what’s the matter?’ But of course you know all too well what the matter is—you know why he won’t hold you, why he doesn’t even know you’re there. The fiftieth draft!”
—
Philip Roth, The Ghost Writer
I love Philip Roth but his books usually make me hate men. At least he seems to understand, and he writes these passages where the superfluous woman gets to yell at the brilliant man for a few moments.
VERY IMPORTANT SCREENSHOTS
this hunky guy in Kate Bush’s backing band
Cartoon by Tom Toro. For more from this week’s issue: http://nyr.kr/ZqjDNF
