More on Thomas McGuane

While we’re on a Thomas McGuane kick around here, a kind little bird told me about a short interview in the Salt Lake Tribune, which includes this nugget:

I’ve really been longing for a lighter heart in American literature. Dickens, Fielding and Twain were all great writers who could write with humor. We’re at the point now where Dostoevksy is funnier than the average American novel. It’s always possible to be perfectly serious and also humorous. I’ve been reading firsthand accounts from survivors of Battle of the Little Bighorn, both white and American Indian. Even in the worst of times, there were bursts of comedy in what they wrote.

Huh. That sounds really similar to something I was listening to recently, where this really smart guy was saying something about humour in serious novels. I wish I could remember who that guy was….