After the controversy unleashed by Martyn Goff's appointment of John Sutherland to the Booker's chair (see GC's Jan. 24 report here), Sutherland publicly accepted a gag order on all things Booker. But, his previous indescretions never seemed completely under his control; his urge to discuss literary awards in the Guardian always had a compulsive, hypergraphic quality to them. His articles were the work of a verbal exhibitionist.

And so, who's surprised to see him again this week in the Guardian, his byline under the racy title, "Eyes on the prizes"? The subhead more cautiously reads, "Nowadays, the novel is the only place where you're likely to find any grown-up discussion of race." But Sutherland's discussion of race is a con-man's distraction, some tacked-on paragraphs that include lines as laughable as this: " In America, that discussion (of race) is conducted by writers such as Tom Wolfe (bronze), Philip Roth (silver) and Toni Morrison (gold)." His real point, delivered in the preceding paragraph: "At the very least, I think, juries should award silver and bronze. And perhaps humbly admit sometimes that they are not all that sure, but this is the best they can do." If you're not translating "they" into "we," reminding yourself that Sutherland's again talking about the Bookers, I doubt Sutherland even wants you reading.

Elsewhere: Dale Peck, who, in 2003, swore off writing reviews, reviews once more in New York Magazine. Surprisingly, his review of Heather Lewis's Notice is quite positive. But then, unsurprisingly, we learn the writer's dead -- and she took America's last "period of ... innovation" with her to the grave.