MOVIE: Delve into the mind and life of H.L. “Doc” Humes (pictured) in a documentary by his daughter. Titled Doc, the 96-minute film focuses in on the counterculture icon. "In the 1950s and early '60s, Doc co-founded The Paris Review, wrote two acclaimed novels, and was a gregarious fixture of the cultural scene in Paris, London and New York. Doc was a 1950s NYC intellectual, a 60s free speech militant, and a 70s visionary crazy genius. His story is the story of decades of cultural history, a poignant personal long-strange-trip, and a fount of ever-relevant ideas." Tonight Immy Humes (filmmaker) will be at the 8pm screening, and tomorrow night she will be joined by Paul Auster. More info here.
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It's quite the red letter week for us bookish types, with the prestigious, sometimes baffling, and oft-maligned National Book Awards dinner and awards ceremony tomorrow night where trophies will be bestowed, granted, totally robbed, whatever, at the Marriott Marquis. To that end, critic A.O. Scott has an interesting article about the contradictions and complications inherent to the awards, Medal Fatigue (registration required). Garrison Keillor is the Master of Ceremonies which, frankly, is why Gothamist wishes we had tickets. If you do have a seat at the Ivory Tower's table, enjoy and report back to us lowly slobs. The odds on the fiction winner have already been calculated by New York Mag, with Gaitskill and Doctorow as the favourites to win. It's just like Belmont, really.

Maud Newton
Reading Thomas Beller's Newsweek essay about George Plimpton - part sweet remembrance of the man and part riff on the challenges of having a literary magazine, a la The Paris Review, or Open City, which is Beller's concern, we noticed a typo on his bio: "...Beller is the author of 'The Sleep-Overt Artist,' a novel..." which could very well be that title of some young literary hipster's book about a narcoleptic, but the actual title is "The Sleep-Over Artist." But we much prefer his short story, The Hot-Dog War which you can find on his site, Mr. Beller's Neighborhood, if you check out stories for the Upper West Side, specifically 73nd Street and Broadway, or in his book of short stories, The Seduction Theory.


