Annotations — Week 06.5

Ancient Celtic tribes, fashion’s turn toward literature, Didion’s diary, and my obsession with a particular pair of trousers.

Great news for Prada & Moshfegh fans.

Ten protagonists. I can’t adequately describe how excited I am for this. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get my hands on a copy, but that won’t stop me from trying. Prada? Ottessa Moshfegh? Carey Mulligan? Three of my absolute faves. I was thrilled when I heard the news in Ochuko’s recent newsletter.

“Inevitably, literature will come to hold a further elevated space in culture, as people become less creative and less prolific, because they will not read and they cannot write. I assume that knowledge of literature—the ability to understand and appreciate it—will become so rare that invoking certain authors or titles will signal luxury in ways we’re only starting to see. Literature that is near impenetrable now will become almost impossible in the future, as A.I.-generated works become commonplace. And what is luxury, if not that which is impenetrable, near impossible? Why not pick up Dostoevsky today?”

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Another piece of literary news.

Joan Didion’s “astonishingly intimate” diary, Notes to John, is set to be published this spring, and I am waiting with bated breath. I wonder if she also tried to convince her diary that she’s cool, or if that’s just an ailment of the digital world. Perhaps she writes with an uninhibited abandon we’ve never seen in Didion before. Either way, I’m very excited for its release. You can pre-order it here.