For The New Yorker, Hofstadter has taken over the role Calvin Tomkins used to fill—as art chronicler: half critic/half profile- maker. And at this he is very, very good. In the five long pieces collected here—about Jean Helion, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Avigdor Arikha, David Bomberg and the subsequent generation of London painters (Kossof, Kitaj, etc.), and Richard Diebenkorn—he almost negligently scatters brilliant associational perceptions (why, for example, Cartier-Bresson the photojournalist was hardly different from C-B the surrealist: the same ``cretinous voyaging'') while being cannier than most art writers about the varieties and dilemmas—glorious both—of representational painting. He also writes (occasionally he posturingly overwrites) with a genuinely beautiful style. But what is a little disconcerting is the form of the articles: Hofstadter seems to appear in the company of the artists he writes about here not exactly as a journalist but as an instant intimate or friend; there is an air of relaxed offhandedness (``I got to know Richard Diebenkorn in 1986, a few years before he and his wife, Phyllis, moved from Santa Monica to Healdsburg, in northern California. Dick was already sixty-five then but a lot of his strict, formal, well-to-do Protestant background still showed''). This self-conscious relaxation of role carries over as well into what he has to say about the painters: He has scorn finally for the Londoners (``dungeon masters'') on account of their all-or-nothing aesthetic neuroticism and battles with life, while reserving his highest admiration for the artist who, like Diebenkorn, is serious without solemnity. Deflation of high artistic pretension and behavior in favor of pragmatic dilution always has been, editorially, a New Yorker stock-in-trade—and Hofstadter is particularly good at it. But the attractiveness of the interesting men (and most often quite interesting artists too) that he writes about seems finally more about personal style than art.
Pub Date: April 7, 1992
ISBN: 0-395-58111-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Electoral politics and the military events of the Civil War are the main threads of Asimov's narrative and he moves briskly through a tortuously complex era. But though Asimov strives for neutrality throughout, his choice of subject matter gives this history an establishment cast—the Seminole War, for example, becomes merely an incident in Spanish-American relations, and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is hardly more than a footnote to military victory. And there is certainly little indication here that this was the age of canals and railroads. Cultural history, though it slips in sideways now and then, is barely covered. Asimov does appreciate the ironies of foreign policy—during these years the United States often considered itself the standard bearer for world revolution while Russia defended traditional regimes. And the unfussy outline of presidential policies and the solidification of our two-party tradition (which clarifies the importance of one-issue parties like the Anti-Masons) makes this a useful overview and a good point of departure for more specialized studies.
Pub Date: April 25, 1975
ISBN: 0395202833
Page Count: -
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1975
From the thousands of letters she's received, the author has selected those best suited to illustrating what bothers kids the most. Being the most popular writer of children's books in America, she has kept in close touch with her pre-teen audience—and even some graybeards. Her correspondents tell of loneliness, jealousy, sibling rivalry, crushes; apprehensions about sex and their own attractiveness, as well as the puzzle of bodilyfunctions, fill out the menu. The youngsters are concerned about their families, confused by parental inconsiderateness, weakness, even brutality. Some write of the stepchild life or of serious illnesses and disabilities. Through it all, Blume is a patient listener, offering sensitive advice and honest opinions. The author succeeds in being clear and straightforward, basing her answers on her own experiences and in the course of it all, revealing much personal information as she succors the wounded. She offers encouragement and consolation, but doesn't shy from admitting her own despair or bewilderment when the problem eludes a clear solution. This is a rewarding gift for a young friend or relative since its practical wisdom and pertinence will help them find answers and a modicum of relief. At least, it will show them that they are not alone in the travails of growing up. Parents, too, could benefit greatly from the letters presented here, since they may convince doubters of the need to communicate with their children. Even the most considerate adult has problems dealing with their kids, and Blume is supportive and understanding in helping them to be better parents. She will reward her fans both young and old with this approach and win legions of new adherents to boot.
Pub Date: April 1, 1986
ISBN: 0671626965
Page Count: 318
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1986
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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