The Author Journalists Love and Reviewers Hate?

Yesterday, I noted the first blows American reviewers are landing on Tom Wolfe's new novel, while also observing the largely respectful NYT profile by Charles McGrath. Today he speaks to the Guardian. "A new Tom Wolfe novel is always a literary event," Ed Vulliamy declares; a publishing event, yes, surely, but literary? I beg to differ! He also believes "no writer has chronicled the full American curve over four decades quite like Wolfe," which at a linguistic level is undoubtedly true, but last I heard, Norman Mailer wasn't dead yet. Of Wolfe's enthusiasm for George W. Bush I shall say nothing, but his final words seem to sum up quite neatly the trends Adam Kirsch identified in Wolfe's worldview: "I do think... that if you are not having a fight with somebody, then you are not sure whether you are alive when you wake up in the morning." (Nevertheless, Dale Peck, if you're reading this, for God's sake don't hold back should you ever feel a need to take on Wolfe, because he's probably got no power in his arms whatsoever...)