Tao Lin

Tao Lin
Tao Lin
Photo of Tao Lin
Tao Lin in Japan in 2010
Born July 2, 1983 (1983-07-02) (age 28)
Alexandria, Virginia
Occupation Novelist, poet
Nationality United States
Genres Literary
Subjects himself
Notable work(s) Richard Yates Shoplifting from American Apparel
richardyates.info

Tao Lin (born July 2, 1983) is an American writer. He was born of Taiwanese parents and grew up on the East Coast of the USA.

He is the author of two novels, Eeeee Eee Eeee (2007) and Richard Yates (2010); a novella, Shoplifting from American Apparel (2009); a short story collection, Bed (2007); and two poetry collections, you are a little bit happier than i am, and cognitive-behavioral therapy (2008). Melville House Publishing published all his books except his first poetry collection and his forthcoming third novel,[1] which will be published by Vintage.

He began a weekly column titled "Drug-Related Photoshop Art" for Vice Magazine in May 2011. It ended after 13 weeks so that Lin could, as he said on his blog, "focus on [his] third novel."[2]

Contents

Critical response

His writing has attracted both negative and positive attention from various publications. Gawker once referred to him as "maybe perhaps the single most irritating person we've ever had to deal with",[3] though he was later "pardoned".[4] After the "pardon", Gawker published a piece Lin had written.[5]

L Magazine said, "We've long been deeply irked by Lin's vacuous posturing and 'I know you are but what am I' dorm-room philosophizing..."[6] Sam Anderson, in New York Magazine, wrote, "Dismissing Lin, however, ignores the fact that he is deeply smart, funny, and head-over-heels dedicated in exactly the way we like our young artists to be."[7]

An article in The Atlantic described Lin as having a "fairly staggering" knack for self-promotion. The same article said "there's something unusual about a writer being so transparent, so ready to tell you every insignificant detail of a seemingly eventful day, so aware of his next novel's word count, yet also remaining so opaque, mysterious..."[8]

Lin's work has increasingly been praised in the UK, including positive reviews from The Guardian[9][10] and a career overview from London Review of Books.[11]

Books

you are a little bit happier than i am (2006)

In November 2006 Lin's first book, a poetry collection, you are a little bit happier than i am, was published. It was the winner of Action Books' December Prize. It has consistently been a small press bestseller.[12][13]

Eeeee Eee Eeee & Bed (2007)

In May 2007 Lin's first novel, Eeeee Eee Eeee, and first story collection, Bed were published simultaneously.

They were ignored by most mainstream media but have since been referenced in The Independent (who called Eeeee Eee Eeee "a wonderfully deadpan joke"[14]) and The New York Times who called Lin a "deadpan literary trickster"[15] in reference to Eeeee Eee Eeee.

Eeeee Eee Eeee has been translated to Spanish, Japanese,[16] Chinese, Serbian,[17] and German[18].

cognitive-behavioral therapy (2008)

In May 2008 Lin's second poetry collection, cognitive-behavioral therapy was published.[19]

A French translation will be published by Au Diable Vauvert[20] in 2013.

Shoplifting from American Apparel (2009)

In September 2009 Lin's novella, Shoplifting from American Apparel, was published to mixed reviews. The Guardian said, "Trancelike and often hilarious… Lin's writing is reminiscent of early Douglas Coupland, or early Bret Easton Ellis, but there is also something going on here that is more profoundly peculiar, even Beckettian."[21] The Village Voice called it a "fragile, elusive book."[22] Bookslut said, "it shares an affected childishness with bands like The Moldy Peaches and it has a put-on weirdness reminiscent of Miranda July's No One Belongs Here More Than You."[23] Time Out New York said, "Writing about being an artist makes most contemporary artists self-conscious, squeamish and arch. Lin, however, appears to be comfortable, even earnest, when his characters try to describe their aspirations (or their shortcomings) [...] purposefully raw."[24] San Francisco Chronicle said, “Tao Lin's sly, forlorn, deadpan humor jumps off the page [...] will delight fans of everyone from Mark Twain to Michelle Tea.”[25] Los Angeles Times said, "Camus' The Stranger or sociopath?"[26] while Austin Chronicle called it "scathingly funny" and said that "it might just be the future of literature."[27] Another reviewer described it as "a vehicle...for self-promotion."[28]

In an interview aired December 2009 with Michael Silverblatt on KCRW's Bookworm Silverblatt called the novella "the purest example so far of the minimalist aesthetic as it used to be enunciated"[29] and Lin described the novella's style as deliberately "concrete, with all the focus on surface details, with no sentences devoted to thoughts or feelings, and I think that results in a kind of themelessness, that, in its lack of focus on anything else, the theme becomes, to me, the passage of time."[30]

In December 2009 clothing retailer Urban Outfitters began selling Shoplifting from American Apparel in its stores.[31]

As of Summer 2011, a film adaptation of Shoplifting from American Apparel is in the works by Sangha Films, starring Noah Cicero and Jordan Castro.[32]

Richard Yates (2010)

Published September 7, 2010 by Melville House Publishing,[33] Richard Yates is Tao Lin's second novel.

In England, papers such as The Daily Telegraph[34] and The Guardian[35] ran pieces on him. In the United States, Lin was mentioned on the blogs of New York Magazine,[36] The New Yorker,[37] The New York Times,[38] and Poets & Writers.[39]

In a book review in The New York Times, Charles Bock described the book as "more interesting as a concept than as an actual narrative", and summarized "By the time I reached the last 50 pages, each time the characters said they wanted to kill themselves, I knew exactly how they felt."[40]

Clancy Martin said of it: "Richard Yates is hilarious, menacing, and hugely intelligent. Tao Lin is a Kafka for the iPhone generation. He has that most important gift: it’s impossible to imagine anyone else writing like he does and sounding authentic. Yet he has already spawned a huge school of Lin imitators. As precocious and prolific as he is, every book surpasses the last. Tao Lin may well be the most important writer under thirty working today."[41]

It has been translated to Spanish (Alpha Decay) and is forthcoming in Italy (Saggiatore) and France (Au Diable Vauvert).

[Untitled Third Novel] (2013)

On August 4, 2011 New York Observer reported[42] that Bill Clegg is representing Lin's third novel, which Lin described as such: "If forced to describe the novel by comparing it to other things I’d say it’s a combination of Lorrie Moore’s prose style and tone, Bret Easton Ellis’ sort of reckless and drug-using characters, and Siddhartha’s continually unsuccessful, earnest attempts at some kind of peace or transcendence." Lin stated to New York Observer that he plans to complete the novel by Fall 2012 and that he wants it to be "short...something [he] could almost memorize."

On August 15, 2011 Wall Street Journal reported[43] that Lin's third novel had been sold in an auction to Vintage.

Muumuu House

Lin founded the literary press Muumuu House in late 2008.[44] Its first two publications were debut poetry-collections by Ellen Kennedy and Brandon Scott Gorrell. A debut poetry-collection by Megan Boyle is forthcoming in late 2011.

Nylon published a spread about Muumuu House in early 2009. In July, 2011 The Morning News published an extensive profile of Muumuu House.

MDMAfilms

Lin co-founded, with Megan Boyle, the film company MDMAfilms in late 2010.[45] Its feature-length releases, all shot on MacBooks, include a documentary on Bebe Zeva and two feature films titled MDMA and Mumblecore."

Filmmaker Magazine said[46] "there is a raw humanity to films like Bebe Zeva and mumblecore, made all the more pronounced precisely because of, not despite, the weird tension between self-conscious artifice and, as the French say, jouissance, or pleasure."

Bibliography

Footnotes

  1. ^ http://www.observer.com/2011/08/tao-lin-announces-five-figure-sale-of-taipei-taiwan-to-vintage-tim-oconnell-prolific-tweeter-to-edit/
  2. ^ http://reader-of-depressing-books.blogspot.com/2011/06/vice-published-5000-word-story-by-me.html
  3. ^ Gould, Emily (2007-07-27). "Now We Also Hate Miranda July". Gawker. http://gawker.com/news/glaring-omissions/now-we-also-hate-miranda-july-272734.php. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  4. ^ Gould, Emily (2007-12-04). "Pardons". Gawker. http://gawker.com/news/tao-lin/pardons-329907.php. Retrieved 2009-03-12. 
  5. ^ "An Account of Being Arrested for 'Trespassing' NYU's Bookstore". Gawker.com. http://gawker.com/5595952/an-account-of-being-arrested-for-trespassing-nyus-bookstore. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
  6. ^ Kyzer, Larissa. "The Best of NYC LETTERS | Books | The L Magazine - New York City's Local Event and Arts & Culture Guide". The L Magazine. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/the-best-of-letters-nyc/Content?oid=1224878&storyPage=2. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
  7. ^ Anderson, Sam (2009-01-11). "Tao Lin, Lit Boy - The All New Issue - New York Magazine". Nymag.com. http://nymag.com/news/features/all-new/53358/. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
  8. ^ Hua Hsu. "Terminal Boredom: Reading Tao Lin" retrieved August 25, 2010 from www.atlantic.com.[1]
  9. ^ Poole, Steven (2009-11-14). "Shoplifting from American Apparel by Tao Lin – Book review". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/nov/14/shoplifting-american-apparel-tao-lin. 
  10. ^ Lezard, Nicholas (2010-11-13). "Richard Yates by Tao Lin – review". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/nov/13/richard-yates-tao-lin-review. 
  11. ^ http://www.lrb.co.uk/v32/n20/david-haglund/a-kind-of-gnawing-offness
  12. ^ "Poetry Bestsellers July Aug 2008 : Small Press Distribution". Spdbooks.org. http://www.spdbooks.org/pages/bestsellers/poetry/poetry-bestsellers-july-aug-2008.aspx. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
  13. ^ "Poetry Bestsellers September 2007 : Small Press Distribution". Spdbooks.org. http://www.spdbooks.org/pages/bestsellers/poetry/poetry-bestsellers-september-2007.aspx. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
  14. ^ Thorne, Matt (2010-06-04). "Beatrice and Virgil, By Yann Martel". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/beatrice-and-virgil-by-yann-martel-1990609.html. 
  15. ^ Vizzini, Ned (2010-05-06). "Bridge Between Generations". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/books/review/Vizzini-t.html. 
  16. ^ http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4309205232
  17. ^ http://www.booka.in/index.php/Romani-u-izdanju-Booke/IIIII-III-IIII/garden_flypage.tpl.html
  18. ^ http://www.amazon.de/dp/3832180990
  19. ^ "Melville House Publishing | Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy". Mhpbooks.com. http://www.mhpbooks.com/book.php?id=16. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
  20. ^ http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:B2nZO4HRNGQJ:popserial.tumblr.com/post/536638860/fun-exciting-things-are-happening-to-tao-lin+%22au+diable+vauvert%22+%22cognitive-behavioral+therapy%22&cd=2&hl=es&ct=clnk&gl=es&source=www.google.es
  21. ^ Poole, Steven (2009-11-14). "Shoplifting from American Apparel by Tao Lin". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/nov/14/shoplifting-american-apparel-tao-lin. Retrieved 2010-05-24. 
  22. ^ Ben Beitler (2009-09-08). "Tao Lin's Five-Finger Discount - Page 1 - Books - New York". Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-09-08/books/tao-lin-s-five-finger-discount. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
  23. ^ Kati Nolfi. "Shoplifting from American Apparel by Tao Lin". Bookslut. http://www.bookslut.com/fiction/2009_09_015097.php. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
  24. ^ "Tao Lin - Shoplifting from American Apparel - Book review - Time Out New York". Newyork.timeout.com. http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/books/78017/tao-lin-shoplifting-from-american-apparel-book-review. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
  25. ^ Messer, Ari (2009-10-01). "Tao Lin: 'Shoplifting from American Apparel'". The San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/30/NSK819S43O.DTL. 
  26. ^ "Discoveries: 'Shoplifting From American Apparel'". Los Angeles Times. 2009-09-27. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-discoveries27-2009sep27,0,5317820.story. Retrieved 2010-05-24. 
  27. ^ "Austin Books: Review - Shoplifting From American Apparel". AustinChronicle.com. 2009-10-09. http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/review?oid=oid:891344. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
  28. ^ Katie Nolfi."Review a Day". PowellsBooks
  29. ^ http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/bw/bw091203tao_lin
  30. ^ http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/bw/bw091203tao_lin
  31. ^ Schmidt, Mackenzie (2009-12-16). "Urban Outfitters Is Actually Selling Tao Lin's Novella Shoplifting at American Apparel - New York News - Runnin' Scared". Blogs.villagevoice.com. http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/12/urban_outfitter.php. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
  32. ^ O'Connor, Ryan C. "Shoplifting from American Apparel the Movie", nthWORD Magazine Shorts, April 11, 2011.
  33. ^ Roy, Jessica (2009-09-25). "NYU Alum and Poet Tao Lin Doesn’t Care Whether or Not You Think Print Is Dead". NYU Local. http://nyulocal.com/entertainment/2008/09/25/nyu-alum-and-poet-tao-lin-doesnt-care-whether-or-not-you-think-print-is-dead/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  34. ^ Moore, Matthew (2008-08-04). "Penniless author sells shares in next novel". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2499559/Penniless-author-sells-shares-in-next-novel.html. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  35. ^ Flood, Alison (2008-08-06). "Taking stock of Tao Lin". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2008/aug/06/takingstockoftaolin. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  36. ^ "The Approval Matrix: Week of August 18, 2008". New York Magazine. http://nymag.com/arts/all/approvalmatrix/49118/. 
  37. ^ "In the News: Tory Reads, Male Retorts". The New Yorker. 2008-08-05. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2008/08/in-the-news-2.html. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  38. ^ Freakanomics (2008-08-01). "When a Novelist Holds an IPO". The New York Times. http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/01/when-a-novelist-holds-an-ipo/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  39. ^ "Author Sells Shares of Royalties for Unfinished Novel". Poets & Writers. 2008-08-05. http://www.pw.org/content/author_sells_shares_royalties_unfinished_novel. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  40. ^ Charles Bock (September 24, 2010). "Book Review - Richard Yates - By Tao Lin - NYTimes.com". nytimes.com. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/books/review/Bock-t.html?_r=1. Retrieved 28 September 2010. 
  41. ^ http://mhpbooks.com/book.php?id=369
  42. ^ http://www.observer.com/2011/08/tao-lin-gchats-about-new-agent-bill-clegg-and-his-siddhartha-inspired-next-novel/
  43. ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903392904576508622955428998.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
  44. ^ Small Press Points, Poets & Writers
  45. ^ Tao Lin Now Selling Videos of Himself on Ecstasy to Pay the Rent: An Interview with MDMA Films, L Magazine
  46. ^ http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2011/07/i-am-a-movie/

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