Why I Read - Hardcover

Why I Read: The Serious Pleasure of Books

Hardcover. Zustand: As New. 1st Edition. First Edition, 1st printing. Bright, clean & tight copy, unread, in AS NEW condition. "'Wendy Lesser's extraordinary alertness, intelligence, and curiosity have made her one of America's most significant cultural critics,' writes Stephen Greenblatt. In WHY I READ, Lesser draws on a lifetime of pleasure reading and decades of editing one of the most distinguished literary magazines in the country, The Threepenny Review, to describe her love of literature. As Lesser writes in her prologue, 'Reading can result in boredom or transcendence, rage or enthusiasm, depression or hilarity, empathy or contempt, depending on who you are and what the book is and how your life is shaping up at the moment you encounter it.' [] Here the reader will discover a definition of literature that is as broad as it is broad-minded. In addition to novels and stories, Lesser explores plays, poems, and essays along with mysteries, science fiction, and memoirs. As she examines these works from such perspectives as 'Character and Plot,' 'Novelty,' 'Grandeur and Intimacy,' and 'Authority,' WHY I READ sparks an overwhelming desire to put aside quotidian tasks in favor of reading." [publisher copy] "The rare and marvelous pleasure of meeting a fellow reader, the sort of person who, in childhood, automatically turned the cereal box so her eyes could rest on words at all times, is here given new form. Wendy Lesser is candid, democratic, brisk, passionate, stubborn, fiercely exact; as in all memorable conversations, I found myself sometimes wishing to debate, and often bursting into private festivals of concurrence. This is a book of rich provocations and rich delights. More than most contemporary critics, Lesser trusts her instinct: what a joy it is to listen, through these pages, to her bold assessments and charismatic opinions."--Louise Gluck. "Lesser's taste is eclectic, her range large. She offers insights into George Orwell and Henning Mankell, Emily Dickinson and Roberto Bolaño, J.R. Ackerley and Shakespeare, Henry James and Isaac Asimov--to name but a few. There is no claim to a comprehensive approach, nor even a sense that what is discussed is of greater importance that what is not. The effect is rather as if Lesser were writing to a friend about the most fabulous literary party of all time, where she'd been in conversation not with authors but with their works. Her book is thoughtful and intelligent, conversational without being 'improving,' and it ultimately encourages us to formulate our own responses, to continue and enlarge the literary conversation."--Claire Messud, Bookforum. Pristine hardcover w/brilliant corners & crisp edges, a square & tight binding, wrapped in an immaculate jacket. Artikel-Nr. RUB2210

Verkäufer kontaktieren