The 10 best first lines in fiction. The 10 best first lines in fiction. Ulysses (1922)âStately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed.â This is the classic third-person opening to the 20th-century novel that has shaped modern fiction, pro and anti, for almost a hundred years.
On the sign-in desk, however, was another announcement. This one detailed the funeral arrangements of the assistant supervisor of this shelter. His name was Ray Felix, and he died of a heart attack at age 60 on Sunday. It is curious that his life and death, and the life of Patrick Ewing should be juxtaposed here.
Vanity Has Died. Last week, I said that it was a terrible week for glamour. Well, it turns out that itâs an awful year for glamour, because the planet is a lot less glamorous today now that Vanity (government name: Denise Katrina Matthews) has gone up to heaven. She was only 57. TMZ says that Denise Matthews died in a hospital in Fremont, CA today.