A Commonplace Blog is one year old. To be accurate, it was a year old on Tuesday. I can’t believe that I missed my own birthday! (“Do you always wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it?” Daisy asks. “I always wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it.”) Too busy taking hammer and tongs to Beloved, I suppose, to break for the single-candled cake. Coincidentally, however, Tuesday was also the most heavily trafficked day in Commonplace history, as the New Yorker linked to my negative and fault-finding essay. The traffic fell off sharply as the magazine’s readers quickly got their fill of someone who places Lolita on top of the English-fiction heap and ranks Philip Roth ahead of Conrad and Faulkner.I want to thank my loyal readers, who have stuck with me and taught me so much this past year, especially by opposing me. I am grateful as well to those who have installed A Commonplace Blog on several “best” lists. I only hope that I can be worthy of your trust, and their esteem, for at least another year.
Go, little blog!
From a lurker happy birthday then!
ReplyDeleteWe may not agree all the time, I am often confused by your erudition, and I am occasionally guilty of wrongfully accusing you of irony, but I will continue as a faithful follower so that I can continue to enjoy and learn.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations. You are certainly doing some things that no one else was doing.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to the blog (and of course, to your efforts). I won't try and compete with the picture in birthday wishes, fortunately.
ReplyDeleteI will say I appreciate the posts since they provide insights and information in addition to challenging comments. I don't mind having my oxen gored every now and then...revisiting assumptions and biases are the best way to expand knowledge.
We definitely disagree on many points, but you offer the sort of criticism that is sorely needed online. Here's wishing for several decades of Commonplace Blogging!
ReplyDeleteA belated Happy Birthday! You can count me among the loyal readers you mentioned; I'm looking forward to reading the many surely enlightening posts to come :-)
ReplyDeleteGuy
Thanks to the New Yorker, you've a new daily reader. And congrats on the birthday.
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY!
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