Kyle Minor’s Marathon Barry Hannah Reading

Sometimes comedian Andy Kaufman would enter a packed house of annoying fans—I believe he would only do this if they were annoying, but who knows—and proceed to read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald out loud. The audience would try to laugh knowingly with the subversive humor, thinking he would end soon, but Kaufman would continue to read chapter after chapter. People would soon walk out in disgust. Finally, Kaufman would ask the remaining audience if they wanted him to keep reading or if they’d like to listen to a record. They would of course shout for the record. Kaufman would then play a recording of himself reading The Great Gatsby.

Whenever I heard this anecdote, which I really do think is hilarious, I’d wonder if someone could really stand there and read an entire novel out loud. Wouldn’t your throat dry up after a few hours?

Well, we can all find out this Sunday when Faster Times contributor Kyle Minor will read the entirety of the new Barry Hannah book Long, Last, Happy: New and Selected Stories. The book features stories from throughout Hannah’s great career including a few previously unpublished in book form. Hannah, one of my absolute favorite writers, passed away earlier this year.

Minor is not joking and suspects “the estimated duration of the webcast will be 15-25 hours.” The book is over 450 pages. Hannah was a master of the sentence and his words are infused with music. You could not pick a better author to read aloud.

The reading will be conducted through htmlgiant. This webcast is a one-time deal and won’t be recorded. Stop by hear Hannah’s beautiful sentences or at least to check in on Kyle Minor’s vocal cords.