Loudermilk: Or, The Real Poet; Or, The Origin of the World

by Lucy Ives

It’s the end of summer 2003. George W. Bush has recently declared the mission in Iraq accomplished, the unemployment rate is at its highest in years, and Martha Stewart has just been indicted for insider trading. Meanwhile, somewhere in the Midwest, Troy Augustus Loudermilk (fair-haired, statuesque, charismatic) and his companion Harry Rego (definitely none of those things) step out of a silver Land Cruiser and onto the campus of The Seminars, America’s most prestigious creative writing program, to which Loudermilk has recently been accepted for his excellence in poetry.

Loudermilk, however, has never written a poem in his life.

Wickedly entertaining, beguiling, layered, and sly, Loudermilk is a social novel for our time: a comedy of errors that deftly examines class, gender, and inheritance, and subverts our pieties about literature, authorship, art making, and the institutions that sustain them.

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Humor, Contemporary, Satire, Novels, Campus

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2019

About the author

Lucy Ives is the author of several books of poetry and short prose, including The Hermit and the novella nineties. Her writing has appeared in Artforum, Lapham’s Quarterly, and at newyorker.com. For five years she was an editor with the online magazine Triple Canopy. A graduate of Harvard and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from New York University. She teaches at the Pratt Institute and is currently editing a collection of writings by the artist Madeline Gins.

Reviews

[Jendi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great premise but I couldn't get into it -- abandoned after 40 pages. Every sentence was trying too hard to be archly funny, and there was no emotional center to the characters. Makes Tom Wolfe look restrained by comparison.

[Tim Koh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit that Ives is cool. She presents the reader with an interesting and worthy premise that would make any well-read individual - at I don't know, the Strand? - snort to themselves whilst thumbing for some hot summer fiction to read.

The setup is simple enough: two recent college grads at some SUNY school or other manage to trick their way into 'The Seminars', which is what seems to be a fictional though thinly veiled representation of the Iowa Writer's Workshop. Loudermilk (the first title's namesake) is blonde, striking, and built like a god. He's also not very smart, though teams up with Harry (gangly, nervous, and probably a virgin) to apply to The Seminars, with Harry producing the poetry and Loudermilk parading the work as his own in class. Together, it seems, they will make a perfect persona, a hero: Loudermilk's charismatic hotness coupled with Harry's brains (nevermind he wasn't exactly a poet in college) would allow them, in 2003, to live off the MFA programme's generous stipend and "wet their dicks" in the process.

I was very struck for the first half of this book. Ives has a hilarious way with language, and manages to satirise both Iowa and MFA writing programmes as a whole through her taut, biting prose. Of course, this is not a novel for everybody, and it is clearly aimed at well-heeled intellectuals who are either themselves victims (graduates?) of MFA programmes or part of the New York fiction market.

However, I felt that there was a certain lack of payoff as we careened into the book's second half. For all that the book offered by ways of musing on writing, the creative process, and the hack that is artistry, I felt like Ives' strengths lie in the creation of mood, tone, and humour as opposed to seeing the sequence of events through with characters that we support: Harry is extremely socially awkward, sometimes to the point where he is unable to respond to others. No matter, but it fails to be rewarded in any meaningful way. Lizzie, the teenaged daughter of two Seminars professors, consistently throws herself at Loudermilk, though her story similarly does not go any further than the 'small town girl who wants to leave town' trope. Clare Ewil (fiction writer unable to write) fails to have any impact on the main Harry/Loudermilk plot, though we are treated to pages and pages of her fiction.

Ives' most tricky character, however, is Loudermilk himself. Yes, we are told, he is an oversexed jock type who should not be in a creative writing programme. However, what does Ives do to warrant a story about, in her words, a 'libertine'? Is she critiquing the libertine as somebody who does not belong, who the MFA types are simply thirsty for, or is there something more that I am missing? Should we love him, hate him, lionize him, or use him? No clue. I think Ives fails to remove herself from this rut of presenting the jock/libertine stereotype writ large precisely because we only see Loudermilk through other people's opinions on him: frenemy, jealousy-inducing, hero, god. We never actually hear his thoughts, as we would, say, Clare or Harry. Instead, he remains a figure of everything that nobody at the Seminars has, and fails to rise above, well, yes, his type.

Altogether, however, I do feel that Ives has provided us with a very readable and very funny novel for the summer that is definitely worth a read. She manages to get at something that all writers/artists/makers experience if they have gone to a formalised art school programme: how, exactly, can one be successful in the face of an ultimately subjective degree? Who gets ahead, and who doesn't? How much schmoozing can further one's career, and how much is your own hotness a barometer of how successful your schmoozing should be? LOUDERMILK doesn't suggest that art school is a farce, exactly, though it does show us how it can sometimes surely feel that way.

[Robert Sheard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite some funny moments, this ultimately didn't work for me. The tedious sections far outweighed the funny ones.

The novel is an inverted retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac, but instead of a lover needing a frontman, we have a frontman needing his secret writer. It's also a parody of creative writing programs. But it's so absurd it loses its impact for me.

David Lodge is my standard for that kind of parody, and Loudermilk doesn't really come close.

[Soft Skull · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale of two idiots—the handsome, charismatic Troy Augustus Loudermilk and his unassuming, socially anxious friend Harry Rego—who, in the early days of the new millennium, scam their way into a fellowship at the most prestigious creative writing program in the country. LOUDERMILK is a quick-witted, canny satire on MFA culture, power structures within the academy, and the bad behavior of male artists, from the critically acclaimed author of IMPOSSIBLE VIEWS OF THE WORLD. Forthcoming in May 2019!

[Jennifer]

I really did give this zero stars. I spent too much time wondering how autobiographical the whole thing was, but there was nothing else to concentrate on because the characters were one-dimensional and uninteresting, as was the story. I am sorry that a tree had to die to make the paper the book was printed on.

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

igjen ei ny pensumbok som var ganske bra? nytes best viss ein er del av akademia (spes litteraturfaget)

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty solid bro. Kept me busy while my girlfriend yapped on and on. I loved book. Book was good. Book had a funny smell. Realized the funny smell was from me actually. Book was good again.

Thank you.

[B Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read the description that said “…stepped out of a silver Land Cruiser and campus of The Seminars, America’s most prestigious creative writing program…” I wanted to know more about Lucy Ives’ new novel, LOUDERMILK or THE REAL POET or THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD. Though I’ve never attended an MFA program, I’m very curious about the insights they give and the way the workshopping process destroys so many promising writers.


I knew it would be a parody of creative writing programs when I realized that Loudermilk was a pompous bore with a sidekick, Harry Rego, who was to be his Cyrano De Bergerac and write his poetry for him. Still I was curious about how he would be found out, and how an MFA might change him or not. Lucy Ives seemed like the perfect author to tell me.



Although I got the inside scoop on writer’s misadventures and insecurities, I only heard about the work shopping second hand. Still Harry’s social insecurities and Clare’s giving herself permission not to write gave me tons of insight about how much I have in common with these aspiring writers. Their instructors and even the determination of second year student Anton Beans showed me how nebulous successful writing can be. Critics and reviewers often define success according to the standards they were taught, while publishers define it by sales potential and success. Beginning writers often write to the standards of publishers and the critique groups they are in, not a bad thing unless it costs them their own voices rather than helping them develop their stories. Best to trust yourself and your story, something Loudermilk may never learn to do, but Harry learns this as the book progresses, and Clare is starting her journey into confidence.

Ives’ writing of both fiction and poetry, both characters and narration is superb. Her glimpses into motivation are precise and she expresses them uniquely. If she is a product of The Seminars, a pseudonym for the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she is also a strong endorsement for the program. Her insights, word play, and story telling are all first rate.

[Rebecca H.]

Loudermilk is a campus novel — a genre I love — about a prestigious MFA program in Iowa (clearly based on the Iowa Writers’ Workshop although it’s not named exactly). Troy Loudermilk has been accepted into the poetry program and is ready to begin. The problem is that he has never written a poem in his life. As it turns out, Loudermilk’s close friend Harry wrote the poems in his application and will accompany him to Iowa to write poems for him there. The novel is sharply satirical and laugh-out-loud funny. Loudermilk is a ridiculous character, in the best way: the famous Iowa workshop is not at all prepared for him. This is a fast-paced, entertaining read, but also one that has a lot to say about poetry, the university, and the endeavor of teaching creative writing.

https://bookriot.com/2019/06/01/june-...

[Susie Dumond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry Rego is a remarkably talented poet, but his social anxiety keeps him from pursuing fame. Troy Loudermilk is handsome, charismatic, and rich, but also an idiot with no writing talent. Together, they create the perfect scam to attend the most prestigious creative writing program in the country.

Lucy Ives is a master of tone and voice. In this book about creative writing talent, her own talent is undeniable. This absurd story is told in such an engaging and intelligent way that I kept finding myself in awe of her genius. There's a lot to unpack here about the writing industry, education, and philosophy, but the story itself is just as entertaining as the commentary.

[Anne Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, provocative, and deft view of MFA culture and the early-aughts. Love the various particular art and literature references.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parts of it were really funny but it was bogged down a lot and judging by the basically incoherent authors note at the end, that is her style

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful fun, but the fifth star is for the author's afterword.

[Dessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most infinite jest-ass book I’ve ever read other than infinite jest (admiring). Couldn’t help underlining parts of this book and stopped at one point to text a friend HELP I HAVE THE URGE AGAIN TO APPLY FOR AN MFA. Hilarious, and also tender. Irreverent for good measure, but strangely almost never flippant, and anyway I immediately put two other books by Ives on hold.

[Rhea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dismal. The experimental aspects of it were annoying instead of exhilarating. The characters had no emotional resonance so it was hard to sustain interest in them.

[Wei Wu · Rating 1 out of 5]

could not finish

[Steven Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odd

[scarlett · Rating 2 out of 5]

thank god it’s over

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed expanding my vocabulary with the linguistic skills the author employed. However, the book had too many subplots that made it difficult to follow. I anticipated the subplots would come to cohesion by the end of the book, but this never happened, resulting in my disappointment.

[Thompson McDaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice take down of wannabe writers, literary snobs, and frat bros.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DNF'd at around 55 pages. A seemingly promising and amusing premise is slaughtered by its own precious and self-referential writing. Maybe if you have ever been in an MFA program you would find this screamingly funny. But the rest of us need normal context for us to "get" the parody.

[yuni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost doubted her after the first couple scenes with harry and loudermilk which I found indulgent and grating prose but I course corrected. She’s amazing

[Lizzie Buehler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the premise more than the book itself. Loved that there was a character named Lizzie.

[JR · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The world keeps ending, in myriad and novel, fresh and sudden, gradual, mechanized ways. It isn’t quite her memory, she thinks, this ferocious slideshow. The visions aren’t organized in the style of a narrative, something personal that follows a human agent from cradle to eventual grave. If she only sits here, the images cycle at a terrific rate; they clatter and swish and fold in half. They shiver and multiply. She thinks of names. It gets a little better. She thinks, hotly, of her own small success— but mostly she thinks of failure and death”

[Sam Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this novel to be brilliant, I wish I had written it. The atmosphere of academic humanities, the over the top caricatures—you have to approach the book as if it were a satire or a farce. Lucy Ives’ command of language is impressive; she layers linguistic prevention on top of characters with surprising depth. I loved every second.

[Morgan McComb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loudermilk—whose name says it all—and his friend and gifted poet, Harry, come up with a plan: to get into a funded MFA program for poetry, together, as one entity. Harry, crippled by his social anxiety, writes the poetry, while Loudermilk acts as the face of their operation after their application is accepted by a prestigious MFA program in Flyover Country, Iowa. Meanwhile, fellow writer Clare, suffering from a crippling case of writer’s block, heads to Iowa in the hopes that something there will shake her creative brain into action. Hysterically funny and scarily realistic, Lucy Ives’s Loudermilk is a literary novel, but its tongue-in-cheek prose and healthy dose of self-criticism keeps Ives’s novel from taking itself too seriously. As Loudermilk and Harry’s plan comes closer and closer to unraveling, Ives’s self-deprecating and devastatingly honest portrayal of higher education and the search for artistic identity will have you laughing out loud and racing towards the final chapter.

[It's Pronounced Scorpio · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious book, and one of the smartest books I've read in a while. It leaves you thinking... It's a very neurotic book, and very white—too—but I think these things help create the very particular "Mood" Ives is trying to evoke. This feels like an epic in 250 pages. There's a sense of timeliness, yes, but also a sense of Ives taking very old novelistic structures. The novel reads a bit like a Shakespearean farce. Although at times its world felt too insular, too quirky and sanitized, I enjoyed this novel immensely.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love what Lucy Ives wrote at the end about libertines and ciphers. As a writer myself, I found this such an enjoyable read, a heartfelt lampoon of the literary workshop written by someone who clearly knows that animal. Loudermilk the character is hilarious, too, and I love the idea of the quiet counterpart who dominates in surprising ways. Also enjoyed all of the drafts of works by the students. So good.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Lucy Ives and I think she's a genius - I'm now obsessed with her.
This book had me laughing out loud in public like a psychopath. It's both hilariously funny and VISCIOUS, eviscerating MFA writing program culture with each turn of the page. It's Cyrano filled with nails. It's social farce coated in arsenic. It's bittered and layered and I'll be dissecting the ending for months. For more of my reviews, check out @getlitbookclub on instagram.

[Dani Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart writing! I tore through this book and enjoyed every minute. The writing style brought to mind Frederick Exley in A Fan's Notes, with it's intelligence and keen (if painful) observations of human behavior. Most people in the book are selfish and entitled, but somehow still likable. Overall, this felt like a lampooning of modern 30's-something culture and I had a lot of fun with it. Well worth the read.