In an email interview, the novelist, playwright and screenwriter expressed surprise at the persistence of comedic works decades later. Scott Heller
What books are on your nightstand?
Maria Semple’s “Go Gentle,” because she’s hilariously sharp and ultimately kind; Steven Rowley’s “Take Me With You”, because his books are instantly adorable; “John of John,” because come on, it’s Douglas Stuart; And Colm Tóibín’s new short-story collection because his work is so diverse but always addictive.
What books might people be surprised to find on your shelves?
All about Dan Brown, because I worship him and because his hero, Robert Langdon, is a remarkably apt Harvard professor of religious iconography and iconography who has saved the world from total anarchy at least six times.
Describe your ideal reading experience.
Like all activities, I need to lie down. I grew up in the print age, so I love slowly paging through ads in fashion magazines, studying a photo of a model holding a purse as if it were once owned by Jesus.
What’s the last great book you read?
I reread “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece of irresistible depravity. In today’s culture the picture of Dorian rotting in the attic would be a selfie without Photoshop. I also loved Brandon Taylor’s “Minor Black Figures” and Torey Peters’ “Detransition, Baby.”
What books are you embarrassed not to have read yet?
Whenever an author announces a seven part series I get tired and quit. I’m not embarrassed by it so much as lazy, because I can always wait for the streaming version and look forward to the nudity.
Disappointing, overpriced, not good at all. Which book did you like and which book did you like and which book did you not like?
No names but there are some universally beloved books that I think all those ardent fans are joking about as a conspiracy against me. I feel the same way around anyone who claims to enjoy math, or claims to fully understand AI and crypto.
Which book deserves a sequel?
Most of the novels I respect finish their magic by the last page, though there’s also an industry that involves imagining Scarlett O’Hara in assisted living, Gatsby surviving and reuniting with Daisy in a reality show, and Captain Ahab feeding dolphins at Sea World. The most attractive terms for publishers are “in the public domain”.
Who is your favorite spy novelist?
When I was writing “The Tuxedo Society,” “the story of a top-secret all-queer special ops unit,” my inspirations were “Mission: Impossible,” Jason Bourne, and the Bond movies, which are delightful, especially any scene that takes place atop a speeding train or inside a long-abandoned submarine at the bottom of the Bering Sea. The books that some of these movies are based on are very different matters, so my favorite is Detective Harriet.
What was the last book you read that made you laugh?
“A Confederacy of Dunces” and “Portnoy’s Complaint” remain both shocking and scandalously funny. Of course, David Sedaris is often reliably hilarious in the midst of serious trauma. The survival of comedy over the decades is a true accomplishment, so I look back on them.
Last book that made you angry?
If I want to be angry, I’ll just scroll through X’s until I’m convinced humanity is doomed, and then I’ll be reminded of the existence of Ruffled Potato Chips.
Is Libby Gelman-Waxner Making Her Way To “The Tuxedo Society”? How did she get there?
For many years Libby declared himself “America’s most beloved and irresponsible film critic” in the pages of Premiere magazine. Libby based her review on which onscreen loft she wanted to sublet and which movie stars she was looking for, despite her happy marriage to an orthodontist. Libby is also the aunt of the hero of my book, a young unemployed actor named Andrew Birnbaum. When Andrew seeks help with a life crisis, he turns to his Aunt Libby, who predicts what Timothée Chalamet or Jason Statham would do in a similar situation.
What makes a good author photo?
Retouching, a background of bookshelves, perfect wired eyeglass frames and a facial expression that reads, “I am truly so overwhelmed with indescribable views of the universe that I cannot be photographed.”
What’s your favorite book that no one has heard of?
Iconic but sometimes overlooked: “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” by Anita Loos, the misleading source material for the film, and “Eighty-Sixed”, by David B. Feinberg’s brilliant take-no-prisoners comic novel written during the AIDS crisis.
What is the best book you ever received as a gift?
For my Bar Mitzvah I was given a large hardcover volume filled with newsprint pages of tabloid headlines from Biblical times along the lines of David Slays Goliath, Crowd Stunned!!! King Solomon Took a Second Wife – His Intimate Story!!!
You are hosting a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?
Wilde, especially if he was aware of the current state of the world; Tom Wolfe, ditto; And Ann Patchett, because she’s a really great writer who also runs a really great bookstore.
