edited by Thomas Beller ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 14, 1998
A hit-and-miss collection of essays by Gen X writers responding to Beller’s (Seduction Theory, 1995) vague directive to —find something that matters to you and write about it.— Their concerns have little to do with the dreams or nightmares of the subtitle; hip cynicism and inchoate negativity about careers and relationships drive most of these edgy writings. Some are prickly, like Robert Bingham’s remedy for a —collapsed— life: —Don—t spend time mulling about your stupid little worthless misery—; join an election campaign and let the —ceremonial superficiality— take your mind off your worries. Wondering —what other neurotic Catholic sluts do in their down time,— Caitlin O—Connor Greevy goes from —partying— (—including unprotected anal sex with an actor, God forbid—) to a vow of abstinence. Relieved by a clean HIV test result, she resolves to find —an employed male who is groomed.— She gets pregnant, though—and wonders how much she can get for the baby. In —Window Shopping for a Life,— Jennifer Farber measures her life and relationships against the —thoroughbreds— she finds in the New York Times wedding announcements. Kansan Scott Heim, weary of Wizard of Oz jokes, yearns for —a bad, brutal Kansas— beyond In Cold Blood. He’s —nearly suffocated with jealousy— when an old friend winds up in prison for shooting an elderly convenience-store clerk. Fascinated by the murders of six gay hustlers in Kansas City, Heim decides to try hustling, quitting only after a savage beating from a john. Bliss Broyard’s entry, —My Father’s Daughter,— is the best piece in the collection, sensitive and well written. She examines her relationship with her father, the late critic Anatole Broyard, by hanging out with some of his old pals, hoping —to discover the man behind himself— and his assessment of her. Though it lacks a thematic focus, there’s enough kvetching here for two generations. (Author tour)
Pub Date: July 14, 1998
ISBN: 0-395-85796-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1998
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edited by Thomas Beller
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
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
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis
by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
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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developed by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
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