bookshelf

TRUE STORIES

Name: TRUE STORIES
Author: Francis Spufford
ISBN: 978-0-300-23005-5

AND OTHER ESSAYS

by Francis Spufford ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 3, 2017

A bibliophagist snacks and dines, sharing with us some of the tastiest bits.

bookshelf

A longtime writer in a variety of genres presents a potpourri of pieces, arranged thematically, from the past few decades.

Acclaimed essayist Spufford (English and Comparative Literature/Goldsmiths Coll., Univ. of London; Golden Hill: A Novel of Old New York, 2017, etc.) offers not just a variety of subjects here, but also a variety of sources. Some were originally blog posts; others, traditional journalism, including book reviews and features; still others, talks and speeches, many of which have been revised. Throughout the collection—in texts dating back to the 1990s (though most are of recent vintage)—run a number of brightly colored threads. Among them is the author’s vast and passionate reading and his fondness for technology. He peppers each essay—though never excessively so—with allusions to numerous other cultural figures, ranging from Shelley (husband and wife) to James Bond, Charlie Chaplin, Shakespeare, Adam Smith, Francis Bacon, Pinocchio, and Oscar Wilde. Spufford’s affection for books, even when tacit, is patent. He writes about the excitement of entering the world of a book—comparing it to breaking the seal on a new container of instant coffee—and about the emotions of finishing a book. As a book reviewer (he includes a few samples here), the author displays a generosity of spirit, a willingness to try to discover what the writer was trying to do, and he provides long appreciations of Kipling and of the Arabian Nights. Although his political liberalism continually comes through, he will no doubt disappoint some liberal readers new to his work with his sturdy defense of Christianity. Also included are several sharp pieces that rebuke the “new atheists” (Richard Dawkins et al.) as well as some impressive pieces about the Soviet Union, which, at one time, “had a reputation that is now almost impossible to recapture.”

A bibliophagist snacks and dines, sharing with us some of the tastiest bits.

Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-300-23005-5

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Yale Univ.

Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
CAHOKIA JAZZ
by Francis Spufford

- BOOK REVIEW
LIGHT PERPETUAL
by Francis Spufford

- BOOK REVIEW
GOLDEN HILL
by Francis Spufford

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

bookshelf

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

bookshelf

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.