The border breaks down at this collection’s core. No matter how resonant the metaphor, the writers Stavans has gathered do...
A collection of “piezas de ocasion” – slim essays, reviews and prologues by South American writers looking north, and North American writers looking south.
Author and essayist Stavans, who grew up Jewish in Mexico and now teaches at Amherst, makes maximal use of geographic and cultural distances in organizing this collection. Although he defines a border as “nothing but an artificial divide,” he also maintains that for him, “la frontera” has been an obsession since 1985, when he first crossed it. Here he gathers an array of pieces that function almost like facing mirrors: From each side of the Rio Grande, consummate writers reflect on their peers from the opposite shore. Rather than revealing unsuspected truths about each other, though, they invariable expose specific truths about themselves. Carlos Fuentes, writing about William Styron’s use of language as a paradoxical force, demonstrates his own sensitivity to the interplay of language and power – and the importance he places on both. Juan Carlos Onetti, reviewing Lolita, reveals his contempt for the “secret symbols, melancholy, and handshakes” shared by the author and his audience, even as he lauds Nabokov’s talent. And Jorge Luis Borges betrays his disaffection for allegory as he explores the implications of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Calvinism. Although each essay has its own integrity, the 32 selections are not uniformly strong; nor do they cohere any more readily when ordered by the academic conceit of the frontier. Borderline opposition certainly exists, but as a structural device it seems highly artificial; these writers do not speak to division as much as connection, even when they’re taking issue with each others’ artistic obsessions.
The border breaks down at this collection’s core. No matter how resonant the metaphor, the writers Stavans has gathered do not address cultural and political divisions as directly as the omnipresent links between power, language, and art.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8223-2400-8
Page Count: 314
Publisher: Duke Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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