the death of literature

Today there was an interesting cover story in the New York Times Magazine by Jonathan Mahler, regarding the author James Patterson. His name wasn't even the least bit familiar to me, but he is apparently the best selling currant author in the United States. He's had 51 books on the best seller list (which won him a mark in the Guiness Book of World Records), 35 of which went to #1. Since 2006, one in every 17 hardcover books sold were written by Mr. Patterson.

He works in something like 5 genres (including a recent foray into the young adult market), 9 books just last year, and he now has a team of "co-authors". He also systematically tried to conquer different geographical areas - when he learned Grisham was selling more than he on the west coast, he made the setting of his next book in San Francisco. Upon learning that he wasn't selling in Scandinavia, he invited Sweden's best selling crime writer to collaborate with him on an international thriller.

At some point he was an ad executive, and he masterminded the advertising and placement of his books. He actually was in a graduate program for English literature, but dropped out because he felt that becoming a professor would kill off his love for reading and writing. Apparently his earlier work was more fanciful, and now he "avoids description, back story and scene setting whenever possible, preferring to hurl readers into the action." He says, "I'm less interested in sentences now and more interested in stories."

It is suggested that Patterson created a template for the modern blockbuster author. There were many before him, but they had never been marketed essentially as consumer goods. Patterson himself says of his work, "this is not high art". But he fulfills a need: "A lot of people in this country go through their days numb. They need to be entertained. They need to feel something."

While it's depressing that literature has turned into such a commodity, at the same time it's reassuring that people are still reading. I think I might try one of Patterson's books, as I'm very curious after reading about him. It's got to be better than "Eat, pray love", which is on the best seller list for it's 153rd week but made me absolutely ill.