Sunday, May 14, 2006




photos by Rachel Papo
from her series Serial No. 3817131


Papo was born in Columbus, Ohio but raised in Israel. Like all Israelis are expected to do, she served two years in the military, which inspired this series of photos - titled after her ID number during service: Serial No. 3817131. She returned to the U.S. to get a B.F.A. in Fine Arts from the Ohio State University, and a M.F.A. in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in NYC.

On a different note, it looks like the New York Times Book Review has officially lost its mind. Today they printed something called “What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years?” And you will not believe the list: is it so ridiculous and so unbelievable that you’ll have to click here and read for yourself because I can’t bring myself to type it. I will say that I haven't read the #1 choice, but I’m familiar with it and with the author's other work and I believe I could easily name fifty-two other novels right off the top of my head, without taking a breath, that would undoubtedly be better. I’m not saying that the list is totally bunk: there are a couple smart selections, but I must warn you that there are numerous Updike and Roth novels on the list, and that, in-and-of-itself should be an indication of its overall preposterousness. I mean, seriously, if you consider John Updike or Philip Roth “the best,” then you really need to read more.