Ecstasy of Influence: Nonfictions, Etc. [Hardcover]
- Author by Lethem, Jonathan
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Editorial Reviews
Lethem, tangling with what he calls the "white elephant" role of the writer as public intellectual, arrives at an astonishing range of answers. A constellation of previously published pieces and new essays as provocative and idiosyncratic as any he's written, this volume sheds light on an array of topics from sex in cinema to drugs, graffiti, Bob Dylan, cyberculture, 9/11, book touring, and Marlon Brando.
From Publisher
What's a novelist supposed to do with contemporary culture? And what's contemporary culture sup-posed to do with novelists? In "The Ecstasy of Influence," Jonathan Lethem, tangling with what he calls the "white elephant" role of the writer as public intellectual, arrives at an astonishing range of answers.
A constellation of previously published pieces and new essays as provocative and idiosyncratic as any he's written, this volume sheds light on an array of topics from sex in cinema to drugs, graffiti, Bob Dylan, cyberculture, 9/11, book touring, and Marlon Brando, as well as on a shelf's worth of his literary models and contemporaries: Norman Mailer, Paula Fox, Bret Easton Ellis, James Wood, and oth-ers. And, writing about Brooklyn, his father, and his sojourn through two decades of writing, Lethem sheds an equally strong light on himself.
A constellation of previously published pieces and new essays as provocative and idiosyncratic as any he's written, this volume sheds light on an array of topics from sex in cinema to drugs, graffiti, Bob Dylan, cyberculture, 9/11, book touring, and Marlon Brando, as well as on a shelf's worth of his literary models and contemporaries: Norman Mailer, Paula Fox, Bret Easton Ellis, James Wood, and oth-ers. And, writing about Brooklyn, his father, and his sojourn through two decades of writing, Lethem sheds an equally strong light on himself.
Reviews
- From Publishers Weekly
- Novelist Lethems collection of new and previously published works is embedded with cultural influences; particularly prominent is Norman Mailers 1959 Advertisements for Myself, which functions like a template for this compendium of obscure writings, liner notes, book introductions, memoir, early unpublished fiction, and even blog bits. The title essay, which first appeared in Harpers in 2007, is a collage text in which Lethem borrows the words of others, from T.S. Eliot and Muddy Waters to Disney films, creating a commentary on plagiarism, allusions, and appropriation. Lethem writes: Art is sourced. Apprentices graze in the field of culture. Like Mailer, self-exposure commentaries are interleaved throughout, and Mailers notorious Evaluations: Quick and Expensive Comments on the Talent in the Room gives Lethem a springboard for evaluations of writers: J.G. Ballard, Paula Fox, Shirley Jackson, and especially the cosmic consciousness of Philip K. Dick, a major influence on Lethem. In a tsunami of literary and cinematic references, familiar and obscure, Lethem easily rises to the surface as a brilliant, incisive essayist who loves to sing the body eclectic. (Nov.) Copyright 2011 Reed Business Information.
- From Booklist
- The title essay in best-selling novelist Lethem's (Chronic City, 2009) latest collection of peppery nonfiction hit like a bunker buster when it first appeared in Harper's in 2007. In it, Lethem demolishes the big O in artnamely, originalityand shares a vision of art as a public commons. Surrounding this provocative tour de force are further tributes to, inquiries into, and mappings of artistic influence. Rather than merely gathering together these thoughtful and rambunctious pieces in the usual manner, Lethem has dynamically juxtaposed and connected them to create a jazzy, patchwork memoir. Here are tales about working in used-book stores and Lethem's struggles to reconcile his love of literary writers, say Calvino, with his ardor for science fiction, particularly Philip K. Dick. Lethem also riffs on superheroes, Norman Mailer, James Brown, and Shirley Jackson. Then there's the hilarious series, The Drew Barrymore Stories. Lethem tells the tale not of what he's written but of what's he's read, watched, and listened to, and the result is a fresh, erudite, zestful, funny frolic in the great fields of creativity.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)
Quote Reviews
- "Conceptual ambition, sense of purpose and a fan's evangelical devotion distinguish this collection from the typical novelist's gathering of nonfiction miscellany.....impressively rich....In addition to being a writer who blurs the distinction between genre fiction (sci-fi, detective, western) and postmodern literature (a term he questions), Lethem writes with a commitment to sharing his enthusiasm for whatever obsesses him....While the results illuminate his formative influences and artistic development, they also cast considerable light on the culture at large, which is both reflected in Lethem's work and has profoundly shaped it.....Intensifying that intimacy, he shares his complicated relationships.... high ambitions and a strong sense of purpose."-
-"Kirkus Reviews," starred review"Peppery nonfiction....provocative tour de force....thoughtful and rambunctious....dynamically juxtaposed and connected....to create a jazzy, patchwork memoir....hilarious....fresh, erudit
Product Detail
ISBN: 0385534957
EAN: 9780385534956
Media: Book
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Publication Date: 11-2011
Language: English
Pages: 464
Dimensions: 0.00 x 0.00 x 0.00
Weight: 2.15
Categories:
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