Sprezzatura Agonistes

I love the serendipitous typo-image in the last quoted line of Siegel, like Mr. Peanut, wearing a "topcat and monocole" -- particularly as it involves affected dignity and a feline spray-marking its territory.

Which, come to think of it, would often seem to suit Mr. Wolcott as well.

That's funny. Posting this first thing in the morning (pre-coffee) I didn't even notice it.

By coincidence -- or, perhaps more accurately, via overdetermination -- Wolcott is the author of a novel called The Catsitters.

I reviewed it for Newsday, back when reviewing for Newsday was a regular gig and not the extremely precarious thing that it is now. But the piece seems to be beyond Googling at the moment.

Ed Champion took a good few whacks at Siegel this past weekend to after witnessing Siegel perform Siegel at a conference.

http://www.edrants.com/anders-in-the-flesh/

I'm not sure which strikes me as more pathetic, those who don't know the war to contain digital is lost or those who do but continue to fight it anyway.

In case you just can't get enough Siegeliana, a reader points out this item:

http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/mixed-media/2008/04/16/lee-siegel-still-doesnt-take-criticism-well