Species of Spaces and Other Pieces (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) [Mass Market Paperback]

Georges Perec (Author), John Sturrock (Editor, Translator, Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1998 | Series: Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin

This generous selection of Georges Perec's nonfiction, the first to appear in English, features ingenious contemplations on the ways in which we occupy urban and domestic space, engrossing accounts of his experiences with psychoanalysis, depictions of the Paris of his childhood, thought-provoking examinations of the "infra ordinary" -- the commonplace items of our lives eluding our attention -- and a short story executed with a Borges-like finesse. Species of Spaces and Other Pieces puts us in the presence of a virtuoso writer, whom Italo Calvino called "one of the most significant literary personalities in the world".

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

About the Author

One of the most important post-war French novelists, Georges Perec was only 42 when he died in 1982. He is the author of LIFE, A USER'S MANUAL. THE WINTER JOURNEY has been published as a Penguin Syren. John Sturrock is an editor at the London Review of Books. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140189866
• ISBN-13: 978-0140189865
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,132,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars uncategorizable and wonderful, April 16, 2001

By 

Alessandro M Angelini (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Species of Spaces and Other Pieces (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) (Mass Market Paperback)

As the author of the world's longest palindrome and other literary feats, Perec's phenomenal linguistic skills and imagination remain incomparable. His works, however, on not merely experiments within the constraints of language; I am not as impressed with his ability to write a 300-page novel without a single letter "e" as much as his endearing sense of humor and humanity. "Species of Spaces" stands as a critical piece of his oeuvre in that it serves as a primer of sorts for his other major works, like a meta-text or map of his other works. Beyond this function, though, lies a vision of what literature can be, beyond genre. Perec explores the spaces we inhabit, beginning with the most evident, the page itself on which he writes (and you read), and "zooming out" into ever grander scales: the apartment, the street, the city, the country, and the universe itself. He does not cease to inscribe himself in each of these spaces, for the crisis that drives this book is that Perec does not exist except in language, on the page, in the apartment, in the street, etc. Every act of writing is an existential re-affirmation, made poignant by the author's circumstances (Perec was the son of Holocaust victims). The darkness of his own history is mitigated, however, by these attempts to capture the here-and-now in writing.

This is a perfect book for the writer seeking inspiration, since the way Perec does not use language as a clunky tool but rather plays with it, tests its limits. Literature seems then not a struggle for self-expression but an exercise in creativity. Perec's approach is refreshing, original, and terribly underappreciated.

19 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All hail the Wondering Boy Poet, September 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Species of Spaces and Other Pieces (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) (Mass Market Paperback)

A welcome addition to the under-translated oeuvre of an incomparable writer. Species of Spaces is a collection of essays, fictions, and verbal bagatelles showcasing a Parisian who "never wanted to write the same thing twice." Perec fuses quotidian concerns with psychological imperatives, and takes you to places you've never been before. Perec's work is the infra and ultra of literature's spectral continuum. And he's gut-busting funny, too.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars humane and intimate, February 18, 2006

By 

Alfred Jensen "Human being, doin' what humans do" (Daejeon, South Korea) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Species of Spaces and Other Pieces (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) (Mass Market Paperback)

Perec's work reminds me of a potted plant on a windowsill of an old apartment, a free-growing natural form set in an urban environment. It's like seeing that one tree outside your apartment window, the one that reminds you that not everything has to hold to the grid. His style reminds me somewhat of Glenn Gould's interpretations of Bach.

The best two pieces are a review of an old 19th century travel guide to London and an interview where Perec describes his experience serving as a paratrooper during France's Gaullist period.

Lyrical, measured, and humane; a great read.