DYSPEPTIC DEFINITIONS

Name: DYSPEPTIC DEFINITIONS
Author: Igor D. Radovic
ISBN: 978-0989713108

by Igor D. Radovic ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2013

So here is a brave attempt at a tough job and a good bathroom book in the bargain.

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Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

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This book of redefined definitions is haunted by the ghost of Ambrose Bierce, who wrote The Devil’s Dictionary (1911).

It’s gutsy to challenge the master, and for that, the author deserves our compliments and our sympathies. Writer Radovic (Observations, 1966, etc.) is not, in fact, trying to ape Bierce, at least not explicitly. He points out in the preface that some definitions are “attempts at humor and satire...[but] the rest are observations and opinions with which the reader may agree or disagree….” In other words, he can be snarky when temptation calls, but he can also be thoughtful. This is not a review of The Devil’s Dictionary, however, so just one comparison of definitions will suffice. “Bore: a person from whom the more we hear the less we want to” (Radovic); “Bore: a person who talks when you wish him to listen” (Bierce). This is instructive: Not only is Bierce pithier, but he also, characteristically, skewers the smug reader. Radovic is less the entertainer than the philosopher. And witty entertainment has a shorter shelf life than does thoughtful reflection, so in many ways, Radovic is the steadier companion. Often, Radovic’s definitions turn into mini-essays, but here are some of the shorter ones: “emulation: copying to which a plagiarist may admit”; “ignoramus: one who is aware of what he knows, as a wise man is aware of what he does not”; “insomnia: a rarely recognized opportunity for reflection”; “poverty: freedom from many things money can buy”; “myth: invention that, however hollow and false it may be, is often as durable as the interests it serves.” (Part of the fun is trying to tease out Radovic’s political/philosophical bent.) Such compilations are harder to write than they might seem, and a lot of brainwork went into this one.

So here is a brave attempt at a tough job and a good bathroom book in the bargain.

Pub Date: July 12, 2013

ISBN: 978-0989713108

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Igor D. Radovic

Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2013

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

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

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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.