Ostensibly about the recordings Bob Dylan made in the house called "Big Pink" in upstate New York, in 1967, veteran rock critic Marcus's study in fact uses the tapes more as a departure point for an innovative view of American folk music and folklore and how it shaped Dylan's imagination and career. Dylan and his backup musicians, the Band (who would go on to a successful career in their own right and be immortalized in Martin Scorsese's film The Last Waltz) recorded traditional songs like "Lo and Behold" and "I'm a Fool for You," and Dylan's selections inspire Marcus (Lipstick Traces, 1989, etc.) to meditate on the true folk tradition, as opposed to the glossier versions of folk represented by many modern performers. It's a tradition documenting violence, loss, and opposition to authority, embodied by such disparate figures as John Henry, the steel-drivin' man, and Lizzie Borden. Marcus takes a close look at violence in the American folk tradition, symbolized not only by Borden but by such elements as the countless Mississippi Delta songs of cuckolded men who kill their lovers. The "invisible republic" of the title is the "undiscovered country" of an older, rural, more communal world, now lost, that Dylan gave unique voice to in the basement tapes. The invisibility in question is the sort that Ralph Ellison bestowed on his anonymous protagonist, who was invisible because his fellow Americans refused to allow themselves to see him. Marcus reveals the true roots of folk music, exploring what that history has to tell us about violence and loss in American life. Of course, a basic knowledge of Dylan's career is assumed by the author, but this rarely hampers an otherwise brilliant look at how America's often unseen folk tradition shaped one of America's greatest folk musicians.
Pub Date: May 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-8050-3393-9
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Henry Holt
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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