"The title of this book suggests autobiography, but this is not autobiography, except for one chapter. It is mostly literary criticism, a discussion of American letters during the author’s lifetime. The literary work itself should be the focus of the critic’s attention, he thought, but also the writers, their social backgrounds, their influences, and “the myths that they embodied in their work.�

There are chapters on individual writers—Faulkner, Hemingway, Conrad Aiken, Erskine Caldwell—Cowley knew all the prominent ones. But he liked to combine authors into clusters, groups, generations, and sort them by regions and time periods. At times he seems to be less interested in the writers themselves than in their contexts. He tends toward abstractions—literary isms, literary ideals and how they change. Literary trends, patterns, cycles, zeitgeists, expansions and contractions of scope, spheres of influence.

As with his other books of criticism, this one is sociological as well as literary. There is a lot of history here, and even some philosophy. It discusses in detail how writers write fiction, and asks: Can bad people create good literature?

Recommended to readers interested in American literature, its history and practice, during the twentieth century.


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"The stories that stuck out for me weren’t the funny ones, but the more heartfelt ones that made up the final section, like the little girl new to the country who was amazed to find out she could take home as many books as she wanted without her parents having to pay, and the man who brought his extended family along to thank the librarian who went the extra mile to help him fill out an online form on time and accept a job offer. The story about the librarian bringing back Krispy Kreme donuts during her plane trip, for an old man who had never tried them before, reminded me of the nurses who went out and bought ice cream for my grandfather when he couldn’t leave the hospital and the cafeteria didn’t have any; it was one of the last things he asked for. There are people out there who yell about having to pay a few cents in late fees or who leave their waste in public places expecting someone else to clean up after them, but there are also people who genuinely care about others and go out of their way to help."

"Mildly amusing, but way too mildly."