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AN ANTHROPOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE

Name: AN ANTHROPOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE
Author: Edward T. Hall
ISBN: 0-385-23744-8

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

by Edward T. Hall ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1992

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Of his life, anthropologist Hall (coauthor, Hidden Differences, 1987; The Dance of Life, 1982, etc.) says here, ``In the perspective of the years I can see that mine has been an unusual life—in fact, a remarkable one, endowed with luminosity.'' Hall, born in 1914, focuses in these appealing memoirs on his childhood through early midlife, tracing a personal evolution of ideas and ``self.'' He recalls many details of a past that ranges from his too-few years with his parents as the eldest of a brood of siblings, to his growing up among strangers at boarding schools in New Mexico, to time spent living with American Indians, serving in the US Army, and working in academia (Univ. of Denver and Bennington, where his ``best friend'' was Erich Fromm) and the federal government. His reminiscences wander a bit, and it's sometimes unclear why he's relating a particular anecdote—but, in a way, Hall's narrative mirrors the random quality of ``everyday life'' and the unexpected ways in which an inquisitive mind stumbles on insight, learns, and grows. Of particular interest are the glimpses he provides into the formation of a cultural anthropologist, and how he developed his pathbreaking ideas on nonverbal communication. The title pays homage to Freud—and, finally, Hall concludes that the ``anthropology of everyday life'' is akin to the therapeutic process: that, upon examination, our daily lives reveal ``the vast world of unconscious culture in its relation to the unconscious self.'' An engaging, even charming, intellectual biography.

Pub Date: March 1, 1992

ISBN: 0-385-23744-8

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992

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.