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THE WORLD SPLIT OPEN

Name: THE WORLD SPLIT OPEN
Author: Editors of Tin House
ISBN: 978-1-935639-96-1

GREAT WRITERS ON HOW AND WHY WE WRITE

by Editors of Tin House ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 11, 2014

With eloquence and grace, highly acclaimed authors ponder the complexities of the writer's life and art form.

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Writers reflect on the reasons they write.

Compiled from 30 years' worth of lectures first presented by Literary Arts in Portland by well-known authors, the editors of Tin House have taken the best thoughts and comments and placed them in a single anniversary edition. The volume includes commentary from E.L. Doctorow, who reflects on his childhood and the roundabout way he came to writing. Russell Banks ponders the intricate relationship between an author and a reader, where the reader not only praises the author, "that shyly offered gift," but goes on to identify the "circumstances and conditions under which the book was read." In her acerbic style, Margaret Atwood gives a detailed analysis of what a novel is not: It’s not a textbook or political treatise, a how-to-survive-and-thrive-in-life guide or a musing on morality. “Novels are made of language, and language, being human is messy. In short,” she writes, “the novel is ambiguous and multifaceted, not because it is perverse…but because it attempts to grapple with what was once referred to as the ‘human condition.’ ” Far more than a compendium of dreary “this is how and why I write” essays, these force readers to re-examine the ways they interact with words. The rhythm of syllables as they play against each other on the page and the way fiction, in particular, can transport us out of the here and now helps readers gain perspective and aids in our understanding of the world. "Fiction is narrative freed from the standard of literal truth,” writes Marilynne Robinson. “In effect, it is the mind exploring itself, its impulse to create hypothetical cause and consequence." Other contributors include Wallace Stegner, Ursula K. Le Guin and Chimamanda Adichie.

With eloquence and grace, highly acclaimed authors ponder the complexities of the writer's life and art form.

Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-935639-96-1

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Tin House

Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2014

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

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

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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

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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

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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.