Throughout the 2000’s Amis mostly published nonfiction. This collection is the only nonfiction of his I’ve read so f | |
Throughout the 2000’s Amis mostly published nonfiction. This collection is the only nonfiction of his I’ve read so far but I found his essays and reportage captivating, erudite, and insightful. Fantastic book. ___________________________________ [Subscribe to my free newsletter and receive curated links to poems, books, and literary knicknacks, as well as short essays and writing process notes directly into your inbox.]...more
Lerner is best known as the author of the novels The Topeka School and Leaving the Atocha Station, but he is a talen | |
Lerner is best known as the author of the novels The Topeka School and Leaving the Atocha Station, but he is a talented poet as well. The thing is…he’s also very…academic. He writes with great erudition about the disdain and/or dismissal of poetry in a historic context—to a fault. My favorite part was about (arguably) the worst poet of all time—William McGonagall—who wrote shit like this:
"Beautiful railway bridge of the silv'ry Tay Alas! I am very sorry to say That ninety lives have been taken away On the last sabbath day of 1879 Which will be remember'd for a very long time."
However, by the end of the book, Lerner was jumping between topics and his original thesis was all but forgotten. I mostly enjoyed the book but I can only recommend it to a fan of both poetry and Ben Lerner, which is a rare Pokemon indeed. ___________________________________ [Subscribe to my free newsletter and receive curated links to poems, books, and literary knicknacks, as well as short essays and writing process notes directly into your inbox.] ...more
Collected here are Nabokov's Harvard lectures on Don Quixote, as well as a lengthy chapter summary and commentary. I | |
Collected here are Nabokov's Harvard lectures on Don Quixote, as well as a lengthy chapter summary and commentary. I was surprised to learn that Nabokov wasn't very impressed with Cervantes's epic farce at first and only began to appreciate the book after a careful re-reading while preparing his lesson plans. Die-hard Don Quixote fans might take issue with Nabokov's constant literary criticism but I enjoyed his honesty and agreed with 99 percent of his takes.
The biggest revelation of the book is Nabokov's alternate ending to the story, which is far superior to Cervantes's version. I wrote at greater length about that
I enjoyed the book but can only recommend it in good faith to fans of both Don Quixote and Nabokov. If hate one or the other, skip this one. ___________________________________ [Subscribe to my free newsletter and receive curated links to poems, books, and literary knicknacks, as well as short essays and writing process notes directly into your inbox.]...more
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