Diary

Tuesday, Dec 18—Read Kevin Killian's Fascination. Who would have guessed that the North Shore of Long Island was so full of incident and pathos in the 70s? This three-decker memoir is in search of lost time, the writer's teens and twenties, lived in a haze of drugs and drink and drool-worthy boys. "Move along the velvet rope, run your shaky fingers past the lacquered zigzag Keith Haring graffito: "You did not live in our time! Be Sorry!""

Friday, Dec 28—Saw the Indian's Progressive Artists' Group show at Asia Society. Ram Kumar's "Unemployed Graduates" (1956), F. N. Souza's "Tycoon and the Tramp" (1955) and "Girl with the Silken Whip" (1963), and S. H. Raza's two "Ls Tere"'s (1973 and 1985) were stand-outs. My favorite painting was V. S. Gaitonde's Untitled (1962) abstract work, commissioned by Air India. After the show GH and I had Spanish tapas, Barcelona-style, at the very fine Boqueria.

Saturday, Dec 29—Read Terrance Hayes's American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin. It's inventive, musical, and yet finally not deeply moving. I've been thinking about why not, for its subject matter is tragic, its intelligence sharp, and its attitude endearing. Perhaps it does not take enough risks. American sonnets should not keep themselves within the boundary of 14 lines. Claudia Rankine's CITIZEN, despite my reservations about its poetic power, at least challenges the coventions of a lyric. The matter in Hayes's book is the awful matter of news reports, but I am not led to think or feel differently about any of it.

Saw Sandi Tan's documentary Shirkers with CA.  It was good but not great. CA and I had a great time dissecting it over dinner afterwards.

Sunday, Dec 30–GH and I had our belated Christmas brunch at Rue 57. The food was better than ever. We took in the windows at Saks, Bergdoff Goodman, Tiffany, and Barney's. The windows were less creative than last year's. The winner was undoubtedly Bergdoff Goodman. Then we walked all the way through Central Park from the South to the North. GH and I then had dinner with CG, DS, SS, BT at Cornelia Street Cafe, which is closing on January 2, tomorrow!

Monday, Dec 31—Quiet day spent reading. I started on Ross Gay's Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. It is terrific. It wears its method on its sleeve, but what a flexible and open-hearted method. Not yet finished with it. Went over to MS and CA for a quick holiday drink before spending a nice, long quiet evening with PB. Then counted down to the new year at Industry. Came home at 1.30 am.

Tuesday, Jan 1–HLW organized a lunch at Cafe Hong Kong with us, CG, DS, MS, CA, CC, BF. Very good Cantonese food.

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