Posted 9:30 AM by Gene

A brilliant novelist or memoirist or whatever confesses to a no-doubt widely imitated secret obsession of news hacks:

I just re-watched "All the President's Men," which I do every year or so, and, every time, I marvel at how interesting Woodward and Bernstein's lives were at The Post, and how well the film explains the reporting process, its doggedness and randomness, and how great an excuse it is to get out in the world and ask every seemingly obvious question you can think of (What books did the man check out?), because you never know, you might bring down a government that has it coming.

Only we suspect most do it every week, just to see that they are heroes after all.

No comments after a whole weekend, which says the reps of brilliant novelists are largely in the bequeathers' heads.

P. S. at 7:20 p. m. I realize now in light of this story I was way too hard on the guy. Nonetheless some people get published because they're brand names, never mind -- as in this case -- if they have little to say. Zero comments could just mean bad placement too; but it could also mean not interested.

(First link via the usual Romy)