RAW on his writing

I've been slowly reading TSOG (if I were quickly reading it I'd be done -- it's not a very long book) and although it's not his best book, there are some fine pieces. There's a really good chapter called "Why Hannibal Lecter Would Make a Better President Than George W. Bush." A passage:

I told him that the writers I enjoy most (Swift, Twain, Bierce, Faulkner, Joyce, Pound, Chandler, Higgins) all contained a special flavor of satire that I could not precisely define even though I think it permeates my own books; "acid satire" hardly seems satisfactory.

"I think I have the word you need," Dr. Lecter said genially. "Biting. You write biting satire." And he showed his small white teeth in a gentle smile.

I recognized all of the names except Higgins, but Eric Wagner supplies the context in An Insider's Guide to Robert Anton Wilson: "Higgins, George Vincent (1939-1999). One of Bob's favorite writers, author of The Friends of Eddie Coyle, The Friends of Richard Nixon, and a terrific book on the Boston Red Sox, etc. Many of his books have a Boston locale and give a great picture of the politics of the city."

I've said his before: Eric's book is a must-have for the serious RAW fan.