thebookishowl.com

The dispute between the remnants of the Underground Literary Alliance, and the Insider lit-crowd of Dave Eggers and Tom Bissell, is not just a matter of distortions, inequalities, power, or respect. There were and remain firm artistic differences between the two camps. The McSweeney’s/Eggers style at its core is postmodern, bourgeois, and exclusionary, with the flavor of elitism and privilege. The unstated message: “We are the In crowd.”

The Underground Literary Alliance, in history and fact, represents a populist alternative.

AttackingtheDemi-Puppets

The strategy of the Underground Literary Alliance upon its founding in 2000 was to provoke a public debate about American literature, then to win that debate and convert opponents to our ideas. In that sense we welcomed strong criticism, and so could hardly complain when it occurred. What threw me is how quickly that criticism became underhanded, behind the scenes, anonymous, skulking– including from at least one mole planted into the organization (proofs available) and numerous other betrayals.

When all is said and done, the ULA won the debate, big-time. We won every argument conducted honestly– including early on at the 2001 CBGB’s press conference when we debated the Paris Review and Open City staffs. Unlike our powerful adversaries, throughout we operated upfront, stand-up all the way. We exposed corruption, discussed topics, that no other writers would touch. The ULA’s brief but explosive history is full of honor, integrity, courage, and pride.

AttackingtheDemi-Puppets