Writing in the Dark: Essays on Literature and Politics (Hardcover)

by David Grossman (Author), Jessica Cohen (Translator)
Key Phrases: extra pedal, The Desire, State of Israel, Bruno Schulz (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Peace activist and vocal advocate for relinquishing the Territories and ending the Occupation, Israeli novelist Grossman is unafraid of controversy; these six essays, however, address these concerns more obliquely, through the lens of literature. Books That Have Read Me merges the young reader's discovery that books are the place in the world where both the thing and the loss of it can be contained with the older writer's urge to describe contemporary political reality in a language that is not the public, general, nationalized idiom. Grossman's passions are two—an Israel at peace with its neighbors and a citizenry restored to dignity through the individual language of literature, which can bring us together with the fate of those who are distant and foreign. Grossman lays claim to an acquired naïveté in his hopefulness; how welcome and enlightening it is. (Oct.)
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Review

“A writer who has been, for nearly two decades, one of the most original and talented not only in his own country but anywhere.” —NEIL GORDON, The New York Times Book Review

 

“If there is one word for Grossman’s faith, it is humanism. This word is in some dispute today; it is rare and awesome to come across the real thing.” —MARSHALL BERMAN, The Nation

 

“One of contemporary literature’s most versatile and absorbing writers.” —KENNETH BREWER, San Francisco Sunday Examiner & Chronicle Book Review

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Product Details Hardcover: 144 pages Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1St Edition edition (September 30, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 0374281106 ISBN-13: 978-0374281106 Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #494,983 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #87 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Jewish

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extra pedal

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The Desire, State of Israel, Bruno Schulz, Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Rally, Middle East, Tel Aviv, Sholem Aleichem, The Book of Intimate Grammar, Occupied Territories, Disaster Zone

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2 Reviews 5 star:  (1) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The best collection of essays I've read in years, November 12, 2008 By  Gwendolyn Dawson "Literary License" (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Writing in the Dark is a collection of essays on literature and politics by David Grossman, possibly one of the world's best living writers. This slim volume contains only 6 essays, but there's more insight and intelligence packed into these 131 pages than resides in most books. In perfectly crafted prose, Grossman speaks personally and passionately about his writing life: "I write, and the world does not close in on me. It does not grow smaller. It moves in the direction of what is open, future, possible. I imagine, and the act of imagination revives me." Many of these essays touch on Grossman's love of reading and the effect of literature on his life. In one essay, he describes reading a good book: "I read the book over the course of one day and night in a total frenzy of the senses, and my feeling--which now slightly embarrasses me--will be familiar to anyone who has been in love: it was the knowledge that this other person or thing was meant only for me." In addition to writing and reading, a couple of these essays touch on politics, particularly in relation to Israel, but this is not a political book in the usual sense. Grossman clarifies, "I am not planning to talk 'politics,' but rather to address the intimate, internal processes that occur among those who live in a disaster zone, and the role of literature and writing in a climate as lethal as the one we live in." Without a doubt, this is the best collection of essays I've read in years. I'm perplexed as to why this book has not received the attention it so clearly deserves. 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Packs a lot of intellect into a tiny book, October 22, 2008 By  Dustin Stein (NYC, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    I am always skeptical of collections of essays because they usually lack focus and cohesion. Collections of essays seem more likely to be the result of megalomania than a clear and organized plan. This book is different though, Grossman is at his sharpest in these observational essays. Yes, he is guilty of my criticism; most of these essays had been given as lectures or at conferences but they reveal the inner workings of one of the most talented living writers. Even one not familiar with Grossman's work will enjoy the approach he takes towards his various subjects--never falling too far from politics.		Ad feedback   Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1St Edition edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374281106
• ISBN-13: 978-0374281106
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #494,983 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #87 in

  Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Jewish

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best collection of essays I've read in years, November 12, 2008

By	Gwendolyn Dawson "Literary License" (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Writing in the Dark is a collection of essays on literature and politics by David Grossman, possibly one of the world's best living writers. This slim volume contains only 6 essays, but there's more insight and intelligence packed into these 131 pages than resides in most books. In perfectly crafted prose, Grossman speaks personally and passionately about his writing life: "I write, and the world does not close in on me. It does not grow smaller. It moves in the direction of what is open, future, possible. I imagine, and the act of imagination revives me."

Many of these essays touch on Grossman's love of reading and the effect of literature on his life. In one essay, he describes reading a good book: "I read the book over the course of one day and night in a total frenzy of the senses, and my feeling--which now slightly embarrasses me--will be familiar to anyone who has been in love: it was the knowledge that this other person or thing was meant only for me."

In addition to writing and reading, a couple of these essays touch on politics, particularly in relation to Israel, but this is not a political book in the usual sense. Grossman clarifies, "I am not planning to talk 'politics,' but rather to address the intimate, internal processes that occur among those who live in a disaster zone, and the role of literature and writing in a climate as lethal as the one we live in."

Without a doubt, this is the best collection of essays I've read in years. I'm perplexed as to why this book has not received the attention it so clearly deserves.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Packs a lot of intellect into a tiny book, October 22, 2008

By	Dustin Stein (NYC, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am always skeptical of collections of essays because they usually lack focus and cohesion. Collections of essays seem more likely to be the result of megalomania than a clear and organized plan. This book is different though, Grossman is at his sharpest in these observational essays. Yes, he is guilty of my criticism; most of these essays had been given as lectures or at conferences but they reveal the inner workings of one of the most talented living writers. Even one not familiar with Grossman's work will enjoy the approach he takes towards his various subjects--never falling too far from politics.