Larry Closs's Blog

Ten years, hundreds of reviews: Beatitude has taken on a life of its own.

For the 10th anniversary edition of Beatitude, a new—and “excellent”—review from the Independent Book Review:

“Beatitude is a story that expertly straddles the line between fiction and nonfiction and carries the same genes and underpinnings as a Kerouac novel. For those who want a heartfelt, human look into the complexities of friendship and love, this book is an excellent choice. For those who love the Beats, this book is a treasure trove.”

Read the full review: https://indep...

Publishing industry heavyweight Kirkus just gave Beatitude a very positive review, something conferred only sparingly:

“Closs’ story paints an inviting picture of ’90s New York. Subway tokens are on the way out and email is on the way in. Bookstores abound, and no one stares at a cellphone on a night out. Place in this world likable characters like Harry and Jay, and the stage is set for an enjoyable drama about unrequited love… A realistic and engaging love story in a finely illustrated set...

In 2012, a few months after the publication of Beatitude, I selected a date at random when I was invited to hold my debut reading at a Manhattan Barnes & Noble. Not until just before the reading did I realize the significance of the date: March 12. It was Jack Kerouac’s 90th birthday. For a novel in which Kerouac and his fellow Beat Generation writers figure prominently, it couldn’t have been more appropriate.

Flash forward to 2022, when my publisher, Sven Davisson at Rebel Satori Press,...

If you’re looking for the next best book to read this month, consider Beatitude, the official selection of The Next Best Book Club (TNBBC)—the largest book club on Goodreads, with 14.3K members—slated for discussion in February. TNBBC founder Lori Hettler gave Beatitude a 4-star-strongly-recommended review, writing, “Beatitude, simply put, is an exceptionally well written debut that explores love in all its varied forms, dissecting what it is to love.”

TNBBC is giving away 20 print and digital...

Among those I admire most are artists who manage the increasingly difficult balancing act of staying true to themselves while making a living from what they do. One such artist is legendary animator Bill Plympton. Even if you don’t know his name, you know his work: an instantly identifiable blend of quivering characters and a sense of humor best described as offbeat, sublime and, to use one of his favorite words, wacky.

Many are familiar with Plympton through his shorts for MTV and Spike & Mik...

Jay: Channing Tatum

Harry: Zachary Quinto

Zahra: Freida Pinto

Matteo: Gael Garcia Bernal

Who should star in Beatitude on the the big screen? I asked a group of readers with very heartfelt views—the seven members of the Staten Island book club I visited on Friday evening. Their suggestions were intriguing: Zachary Quinto as Harry, Channing Tatum as Jay, Freida Pinto as Zahra and Gael Garcia Bernal as Matteo. I look forward to the announcement in Variety.

Movie casting was just one of a multitude of...

New York’s largest independent bookstore, The Strand, is also on every list of the city’s best. I’ve always felt that way and even more so since my novel Beatitude was published two years ago because The Strand has consistently included Beatitude among its famous 18 miles of books ever since. I’ve signed three different batches of books for the store and piles of copies have been featured on one of the first floor gift idea tables several times.On a recent visit, I spotted two copies on a sh...

San Francisco Night by Jonathan Collins

The downside of missing your stop on a New Jersey Transit train? A surly conductor who responds to the innocent question, “How many stops to Paterson?” by yelling, “This train is going to Trenton!” As if the person who asked the question should know that Paterson is not on the way to Trenton. But neither the questioner, me, nor my travel companion, the lovely Stephanie Nikolopoulos, are intimately familiar with the geography of New Jersey, and thus our 4...

The latest review of Beatitude comes from Empty Mirror,a wonderful arts and literary magazine devoted to literature, film, music and art, with a special interest in the Beat Generation. Empty Mirror’s owner and editor, Denise Enck, wrote the review herself:

“Closs’s knowledge of and love for the Beats and New York shines through; the atmosphere alone is enough for a Beat aficionado to appreciate this book.But it’s the personal struggles that Charity experiences which are at the heart ofBeatitu...