Essayism

Wayne Koestenbaum, Essays, the 1980s

I never chose to nominate myself as historical witness. (Wayne Koestenbaum)

Half drunk on a late night tube, I listened to the Pet Shop Boys (there will surely be more on them in this series) and stared at the word “odd” - in an essay about Andy Warhol. I’ve been reading a collection of Wayne Koestenbaum’s essays mostly because of the cover. But also the blurb. It compared him to Didion, Sontag and Barthes.

I don’t think Koestenbaum writes essays like Didion, Sontag or Barthes. All three get referenced, sure. But Koestenbaum’s style is much different from the poise of Didion or the thrust of Sontag.

The title essay of this collection is My 1980s. It sets the tone of the collection, which is at once intellectual but fiercely personal too. Sometimes these essays are closer to a collection of aphorisms, sometimes they remind me of a blog post.

Reading these pieces now its as much about the 80s as the 00s. Like listening to Blondie on an iPod Nano. The comparison to HBO’s Angels Of America is too blindingly on the nose to be useful. However, I think it was insightful, as the 00s truly become history to note that eras obsessions and ticks.

The War On Terror seems weirdly absent from much of this writing. The Bush Presidency itself seems to linger over the writing, as but a subtle continuation of everything before it. It’s hard to imagine a collection of essays about the last ten years having the same political tone.

On the other hand, Koestenbaum’s artistic reference can at once seem contemporary and anachronistic. I suppose it is not surprising that Didion has stayed in fashion. Though, the use of Fanon’s theories for queer purposes seemed strangely dated; despite the renewed interest in the author of the Wretched Of The Earth.

The book sadly began to tire me by the 300th page. I suspect these essays were not meant to be read back to back. In fact, I have gotten the most out of essay collections over the past year by using them as bedside reading. Maybe that’s what I needed to have done with this.