If you’ve been following the fact-vs.-fiction controversy spurred by John D’Agata’s recent book, The Lifespan of a Fact (written with fact-checker Jim Fingal), you’ll enjoy the “Dear John” letter penned by Ned Stuckey-French that is currently posted on the Brevity blog at this link:
http://brevity.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/dear-john-im-afraid-it-is-over/
Stuckey-French, who has written extensively on the essay form and whose most recent book is titled Essayists on the Essay: Montaigne to Our Time, weaves humor into his criticism of D’Agata’s effort to define the boundaries of the “lyric essay.”
Enjoy!
