An Oopsie Sabbatical
Theoretically, I’ve always understood that writing a novel centered on the politics of oppression could be intellectually and emotionally draining. But I never thought it would be draining to me.
This isn’t because I thought I was somehow capable of handling something difficult for many other writers—it’s because I failed to think of my own work as worthy of such a reaction. Yes, Kalyna the Cutthroat concerns ethnic cleansing, displacement, and bigotry; but it also contains some of the silliest things I’ve ever written.
All of which is to say that, after finishing the book, my planned few weeks of (partial) relaxation inadvertently stretched to a few months. I fell backward into a sabbatical without realizing it.
But now, I rise from my slumber of ages just in time for con season. And to remind you that Kalyna the Cutthroat may have exhausted me, but it’s also a book I’m very proud of, and that I hope you’ve already pre-ordered.
Events
Come say hi at a con: I’m easy to spot! And stay tuned for this fall’s Kalyna the Cutthroat launch.
August 8-12, Glasgow, Scotland: Worldcon 2024
October 17-20, Niagara Falls, NY: World Fantasy 2024
Commonplace Book
Solomon Brager’s Heavyweight: A Family Story of the Holocaust, Empire, and Memory is a smart, painful, funny, and frighteningly well-researched graphic memoir that I’m still digesting.
If Kalyna Were in a Film
I recently encountered what is perhaps the most Kalyna-like performance I’ve ever seen from an actor. Of course I’m talking about Richard Widmark in Jules Dassin’s 1950 film noir Night and the City.1
Most noir protagonists stumble through escalating crises of their own making, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one as desperate, as intense, and as compelled to take big swings, as this guy. His uneasy energy helps place Night and the City firmly in the tradition of sweaty, anxious thrillers that will later bring us an Uncut Gems.
Of course Kalyna hasn’t run a dangerous and illegal wrestling promotion (yet), and she is obviously not a white man from mid-century America. But just look at the endless scheming that grinds behind his eyes as he tries to save a spiraling situation.
Look at the superhuman confidence, tempered by deep fear. Look at the wholehearted willingness to be—and palpable joy in being—unpleasant to others.
All this reminds me, inexorably, of Kalyna Aljosanovna. Or of parts of her, anyway. But what do I know. Death of the author, right?
Manicures
He’s somehow even more like Kalyna than Tyrone Power’s lead in Nightmare Alley, who happens to be a charismatic con artist pretending to be a psychic. ↩