Jake not a wag, but a nicely feathered mockingbird
Two weeks ago, Bette Kestin got the ReaderХs Retort column going with a pointed diatribe against the PostХs own bad-boy of modern prose, Jake Rudnitsky. But it would not have been fair to leave it at one answer slamming the defenseless Jake. Thus, we left the following question open to readers: ТJake Rudnitsky: master of the muse or just plain rude.У Sure enough, a couple of JakeХs devoted fans have emerged from the darkness and piped up loudly in defense of their much-maligned hero. Here is what they had to say.
OK, Bette, get a life! As an ex-pat who has spent the last three years in Ukraine, I officially like JakeХs irreverence. I like trying to figure out what in the world Тwhack-assУ means and how many times I can find a rat reference in a restaurant review. Heck, I was even looking forward to the next issue to see which Latin and Cyrillic letter was making the grade this week.
Do we read JakeХs articles for objectivity? IsnХt that the whole point of a restaurant or club review? (I can see the New Objectivity, a la Comrade Kestin: ТWell, the food was hot and had a definite taste and consistency. But I really canХt have a personal opinion about this. I mean, objectively speaking, that is …У) We must have gone back to Stalinist times when having an opinion was a reason for being sent off to the Gulag.
Jake doesnХt pretend to want to do Тinvestigative reporting in Chechnya or Indonesia,У unless those are the names of two new hotspots in Kyiv.
You say that Jake is clearly Тbitter and upsetУ about changes in the paper and has decided to air his dirty laundry in print rather than discuss these issues with the editor in private. Hello? Anybody home? Who do you think edited the article in the first place so that it could be put into print?
My advice: Take a deep breath, find your sense of humor, give Jake a break and take some time to sit back and smell the varenyky.
Andrea Kalan
Kyiv
Jake Rudnitsky could be sophomoric by his age but, no way, by his style. He does sound well-spoken and witty, and shows a special gift of exposing pompous and incongruous things like most of KyivХs night entertainment places.
Yes, he is obviously playing enfante terrible. But itХs so much the better for us that we can make avail of JakeХs unbiased, bold views. I would restrain from calling him Тrude,У since the form of his language does not bear a tint of the obscene style. Etymologically, his Slavic name stems from the adjective Тruddy,У Тred-haired.У ItХs nothing but natural to be cheery and a bit ironic for a person called ТcarrotsУ after the English tradition.
Let him mock our controversial world. And let us not kill this nicely feathered mocking-bird (referring to Harper LeeХs novel).
Ilona Podolian
Kyiv
Got an opinion about Jake? Or has some other topic got you so incensed that you canХt keep your opinions to yourself? Respond to ReaderХs Retort at: [email protected].
