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The Quarterly Conversation Issue 21
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Speaking of Distraction
Earlier this week I announced The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt as the fall group read. Intriguingly, a couple of people noted that previously they had written this book off simply because it shares a title with one of Tom Cruise’s lesser films. (Though now that they realize the book has nothing to do with Tom Cruise pretending to be Japanese, they’re all for reading it.)
That’s made me wonder . . . if two (and likely more) readers of this site missed out on what appears to be an excellent contemporary novel because Tom Cruse had the temerity to steal its title for an awful flick, how many more fans (and sales) has Cruise robbed DeWitt of? And is this counterbalanced by people who would otherwise have had nothing to do with innovative fiction picking up DeWitt’s book thinking they could get more of that hot samurai action they so enjoyed when watching Cruise on the silver screen?
The Names by Don DeLillo (1982)
The Box Man by Kobo Abe (1973, English 1974)
Head in Flames by Lance Olsen (2009)
Agaat by Marlene van Niekerk (2006, English 2010)
The Weather Fifteen Years Ago by Wolf Haas (2006, English 2009)
I was one of those fooled. I think it was the combination of the timing (I think the book came out, in paperback at least, at the same time, or close, to the film) and the fact that it is published by Miramax (with a slight touch of the fact that the cover looks like it could have been the poster for the film).
A bad case of judging a book by its cover, publisher and publication date.
The impression has lasted until now becuase I haven’t read anything about the book. None of the bookblogs or other publications I read have discussed the novel, so there hasn’t been a chance for me to rectify the misimpression.
I’ll tell you, I often, while browsing books, think, “I wish I could find a large, post-modernish book of the type I like but written by a woman.” Here it was the whole time, hidden in plain sight.
I marvel at the ease with which people slam the first “Last Samourai” in favor of the last “last samourai.” It’s out of the question to defend or preach in favor of Tom Cruise, but the film may at times move out of his awful shadow. Isn’t that to be considered under the category of the possible?
I say these things above all w/r/to Helen DeWitt’s novel. It’s clear, at least at one point, that Ludo understands nothing of his mother’s rage at “The Magnificent Seven.” That appears in light of all this opprobrium as the precursor of Cruise’s last samourai, which is not his, but of a whole medley of very good actors! Apparently, people enjoy being able to share in a mutual dissing society. Why not, after all. But let’s look out and look for Ludo in the upcoming weeks!
I have to admit that I was a bit confused when you announced the title. Given what I think of this blog, it just didn’t compute that you would suggest a book associated with a Tom Cruise movie. So I looked up both the movie and the book which put me at ease. Thanks for the post.
I had the opposite experience. I read the book shortly after it came out (several years before the film was released) and was very confused (and a little nervous) when rumors about the film started circulating. First, the book didn’t seem like it would translate to film. Second, where would Tom Cruise fit in? The only men in the book are transient. Fortunately, as more details emerged, it became clear that the film had nothing to do with the book. :)
When I wrote a staff recommendation card for Last Samurai (the book) at work years ago, I made sure to distinguish it from Last Samurai (the movie).
The paperback of DeWitt’s book came out at least a year before the movie, I believe.
When I first opened this blog on Monday and saw “The Last Samurai” I had an almost physical reaction of revulsion. This dissipated after the clarification of it not being connected to the film, but if I saw it while browsing in a bookstore before this week, I’m sure I would have stayed away from it. So, yes, I do think this turned off some people from reading this book.
I’ve come across the book second-hand quite a few times and probably would have picked it up if I’d realized what it was, but I, too, was fooled by the cover, which really does, as DN said, look like it might be a movie poster.