An exploration into topics such as the pleasures of work, keeping a journal, lecturing, language snobbery, the comedy of gluttony, friendship and middle age.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Epstein writes gracefully on such diverse subjects as the place of work in our lives; his pet peeves (unkempt beards, empty language, official incompetence); the sadness of used bookstores; himself as an avid sports fan; pitfalls in public speaking; and the limits of friendship. His essays deftly illuminate shadowy areas of existence often overlooked by writers, and these pieces, reprinted from the American Scholar, show Epstein to be an accomplished essayist. As a debunker of liberal verities, he is in good form even if most of the selections comprise mellow musings. Epstein not only finds Woody Allen's humor tired and predictable, but, calling himself a "language snob," he skewers Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, George Kennan and others. Clearly, Epstein weighs his experiences before setting pen to paper.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
This new collection of familiar essaysEpstein's fourth in the past several yearsis, it seems, one too many. The personal essay may be the most difficult genre to keep tapping until, as it were, the writer must resort to eating his own liver. Epstein's prose succumbs to a kind of flatulence, while a pervasive tone of smug complacency allows for self-indulgence, repetition, premature nostalgia, and a general slackening of wit, bite, and willingness to explore new perspectives. When the reader is moved to ask of a generously offered insight or memory, "Why should I care what you think?" it's time for the essayist to reevaluate the range and scope of his endeavors. Earl Rovit, English Dept., City Coll., CUNY
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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More About the Author
JOSEPH EPSTEIN is the author of the best-selling Snobbery and of Friendship, as well as the short story collections The Goldin Boys and Fabulous Small Jews, among other books, and was formerly editor of the American Scholar. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, the Atlantic Monthly, and other magazines.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In the great tradition,
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This review is from: Once More Around the Block: Familiar Essays (Paperback)
A proto-Sedaris, Epstein was doing this shtick way before it was fashionable. Which is not to knock Sedaris, an equally benign presence. The whole thing harks back to Chesterton anyway - and even he has his followers.The essay and life writing (or, as Phillip Lopate would meld them, the personal essay) are two glories of contemporary American letters.
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