A poet's amble in prose through poetry and other byways of language and art. Wilbur, who published a previous volume of prose pieces, Responses, in 1976, calls this sequel ``a mixture or jumble of efforts in various . . . modes.'' But it is more and better than that. He magnetizes subjects of literary and personal interest (e.g., Edgar Allen Poe; the craft of translation) that combine eventually to suggest an intellectual self-portrait. For example, consider his opinionated yet revealing comment on cinema in ``Movies and Dreams'': ``Watching film is (for me, for most) so much less judicial and analytic than other art experiences. The conventions are transparent, the molding of the imagination is insidious.'' Although basically conservative and somewhat patrician in taste, Wilbur can turn this tendency into a means of stimulation with his precision of mind and language—even if you happen to disagree with him. In one essay, for instance, he does his best to raise the standing of often-derided poet and patron Witter Bynner. He is alert and fair, announcing in ``Forewords'': ``I hope that a persistence or resurgence of metrical writing, and of artifice in general, will now restore some lost force and expressive capability in American poetry.'' Nevertheless, he also recognizes that ``no form belongs inevitably with any theme or attitude; no form is good or appropriate in itself, but any form can be made good by able hands.'' The book includes surprises, notably Wilbur's lecture about riddles, given in 1988 at the Library of Congress. Here he surveys types and scrutinizes examples of riddles with a playful earnestness, arguing in favor of their acceptance as ``a poetic form.'' Wilbur's clarity and his rationalness—his lack of romantic sympathies—will strengthen his appeal for some. A smart, cleanly written, yet not especially adventurous harvest.
Pub Date: April 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-15-200254-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1997
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
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.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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