you are a little bit happier than i am
by Tao Lin
Poetry. Asian American Studies.
ISBN: 9780976569237
30 November 2006
$14
Reading Tao Lin is like looking the wrong way down Frank O’Hara’s ear trumpet at a 21st century Mayakovsky IM-ing Lili Brik. This book is fun, smart, manic and ecstatic; it puts on a clean shirt before it loads the gun.
“you are a little bit happier than i am has the energy and oddness of a thing that is rising very fast that is not supposed to be rising, or that is supposed to be rising but for a moment you forget that, and for a moment this ordinary thing looks very strange and exciting.”
– Deb Olin Unferth
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tao Lin was born in 1983 and earned a BA in journalism from New York University. Known for its flat, affectless style Lin’s work is loaded with references to pop culture and new media and communication technologies. He is the author of the novels Taipei (2013), Richard Yates (2010), and Eeeee Eee Eeee (2007); he has also written the novella Shoplifting from American Apparel (2009), and the short story collection Bed (2007). His collections of poetry include you are a little bit happier than i am (2006) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (2008). Founder and editor of Muumuu House, Lin is also cofounder of MDMAfilms. He has taught at Sarah Lawrence University and presented his work at places such as Yale, Vassar, and the Museum of Modern Art. His work has been translated into twelve languages. He writes regularly for Vice magazine, has a blog, and lives in Manhattan.