All the Sad Young Literary Hotties

Published Mar 27 2008, 05:14 PM by Sharon Steel

Keith Gessen: Author, broad-shouldered man.

The Observer is really doing some excellent shoe-leather reporting on sub-cultures these days. Last week's awkward musing on Urbane Tomboys flummoxed us (aren't these girls just hipsters who wear boy clothes, and what does this have to do with feminism?) but Doree Shafrir's story on Nerds of Steel this week is a little bit more our thing. Hipsters or Ripsters? Buff, and Proud? Oh, yes, of course, of course. The publishing industry's collective boner for hottie authors doesn't seem to be going anywhere. So it makes sense that examples of current "nerdy beefcake poster boys" include a lot of literary lads: Conan O'Brien, Keith Gessen (N+1 editor and author of everyone's favorite new galley, All The Sad Young Literary Men), and up-and-coming buff dork Benjamin Nugent. Nugent penned a book called American Nerd: The Story of My People, which will come out in May. We. Must. Read. This.

Shafrir's piece was a fun romp, but we're a bit disappointed that there wasn't some kind of sidebar thing on female buff nerds. She glosses over it by noting that "female nerds can be 'buff,' but that makes for a sexy librarian/Tina Fey kind of paradigm."

Radar has some ideas for the new tribes the Observer should hunt down, but we think their next feature should focus on a group we're going to go ahead and call Book Tramps. More specifically: Slutty Ass Bitch Whores Who Read. We are very interested in this phenomenon, given the number of prostitutes with double-lives out there.

Filed Under: Bookslut, Jezebel, Lit Gossip, NY Observer, Publishing

He's Just Not That Into Your Library

Wise Words from Zadie Smith

Follow the Boston Phoenix

All Blogs

On The Download (2,163)
Laser Orgy (33)
Dont Quote Me (518)
Talking Politics (1,523)
Outside The Frame (305)
Phlog (1,419)

Filed Under: Bookslut, Jezebel, Lit Gossip, NY Observer, Publishing, Things We Love

Boston Phoenix
All the Sad Young Literary Hotties
Published 3/27/2008 by Sharon Steel
Keith Gessen: Author, broad-shouldered man. The Observer is really doing some excellent shoe-leather...

Boston Phoenix
Books That Make You Dumb
Published 1/29/2008 by Sharon Steel
Since nobody is reading anything anymore except text-messages and blogs, then we guess it shouldn't ...

more by Sharon Steel

Interview: Leanne Shapton | March 24, 2009

Interview: Joss Whedon | February 09, 2009

Review: Dollhouse | February 09, 2009

Faking it | January 06, 2009

Bad girls | October 16, 2008

See all articles by: Sharon Steel

Latest Comments

Khazei Sneaking Up? - As voters learn more about Alan Khazei, they will want to vote him in. He is an extraordinary public...

By vicki kennedy on 11-25-2009 in Talking Politics

Khazei Sneaking Up? - ****Updated Nov 25** with copies of letters from Privacy Commissioner of Canada and an audio. Suppressed...

By Mar on 11-25-2009 in Talking Politics

PODCAST: David Plouffe on the early days of the Obama campaign - **Updated Nov 25** with copies of letters from Privacy Commissioner of Canada and an audio. Suppressed...

By Mar on 11-25-2009 in Phlog

Phoenix meets the Phoenix: hugely awesome band to perform intimate gig for lucky Boston Phoenix readers - Christian Louboutin replica shoes are available at attractive rates in all outlets across the world....

By Gucci Sneakers on 11-25-2009 in On The Download

Khazei Sneaking Up? - Cappy speaks too fast with high pitched, tinny voice that makes him hard to take seriously. Alan has...

By realitybill on 11-25-2009 in Talking Politics

Latest Comments from WordUp

All the Sad Young Literary Hotties

Leave a Comment