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John D'Agata

The Next American Essay (A New History of the Essay) Paperback – Illustrated, February 1, 2003

by John D'Agata (Author, Editor)

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In The Next American Essay, John D'Agata takes a literary tour of lyric essays written by the masters of the craft. Beginning with 1975 and John McPhee's ingenious piece, "The Search for Marvin Gardens," D'Agata selects an example of creative nonfiction for each subsequent year. These essays are unrestrained, elusive, explosive, mysterious―a personal lingual playground. They encompass and illuminate culture, myth, history, romance, and sex. Each essay is a world of its own, a world so distinctive it resists definition.

Contributors include:

Sherman Alexie
David Antin
Jenny Boully
Anne Carson
Guy Davenport
Lydia Davis
Joan Didion
Annie Dillard
Thalia Field
Albert Goldbarth
Susan Griffin
Theresa Hak Kung Cha
Jamaica Kincaid
Wayne Koestenbaum
Barry Lopez
John McPhee
Carole Maso
Harry Mathews
Susan Mitchell
Fabio Morabito
Mary Ruefle
David Shields
Dennis Silk
Susan Sontag
Alexander Theroux
George W. S. Trow
David Foster Wallace
Eliot Weinberger
Joe Wenderoth
James Wright

Print length

475 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Graywolf Press
Publication date

February 1, 2003
Dimensions

6.09 x 1.24 x 8.79 inches
ISBN-10

1555973752
ISBN-13

978-1555973759
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

D'Agata (Halls of Fame) avows love of the diversity of the essay form, and it is palpable on every page of this unique, esoteric, beautiful book. He tells the reader that he first became enamored of essays when his mother read him the news of the day while he was still in her womb. It is this kind of fantastic, myth-making perspective that runs through each entry of this anthology, whose contributors include such master essayists as John McPhee, Susan Sontag, Joan Didion and Annie Dillard. Hopping from one genre to another-biography, poetry, philosophy, travel writing, memoir-D'Agata makes the point that the essay is not just one form of writing but can be every form of writing. Although it may occasionally seem that D'Agata has chosen a selection to illustrate how erudite he is-such as Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's "Erato Love Poetry," a set of bewildering fragments and (literally) blank white space-many other choices convey the wondrously infinite possibilities of the essay form. Standouts include "Unguided Tour," Sontag's cranky philosophical dialogue with her inner self; "Life Story," David Shields's string of aphorisms composed entirely of bumper sticker slogans; "Ticket to the Fair," David Foster Wallace's colorful, compassionate tour of the Illinois State Fair; and "The Body," Jenny Boully's postmodern pastiche of autobiographical (or not) footnotes. D'Agata's idea of an essay-or lyric essay, as he comes to call these writings- conflates both art and fact, blurring the line between objectivity and subjectivity. The lyric essay, he says, has a "kind of logic that wants to sing." Readers, listen up, then: here is a book that makes some beautiful music.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

As he demonstrated in Halls of Fame (2001), D'Agata is an impressively poetic essayist, and now he pays tribute to his chosen form in a unique and astutely selected chronological collection of seminal lyric essays. Choosing one essay to represent each year up to the present, D'Agata begins in 1975 not only because it's the year of his birth but also because that's when John McPhee, grand master of what became known as creative nonfiction, published "The Search for Marvin Gardens," a shimmering hybrid of personal observations and lovingly recited facts about the board game Monopoly. A similarly complex mix of the objective and the subjective by Barry Lopez follows, as does a wily rumination by Susan Sontag, and an indelible piece by Joan Didion, empress of the plexus of the intimate and the political. Splendid, form-transcending performances by the likes of Anne Carson, Paul Metcalf, Sherman Alexie, Susan Griffin, and Carole Maso alternate with D'Agata's own sparkling musings on each year and each phase in the essay's evolution. This is a genuinely exhilarating work of literary history. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“From the living Monopoly game (in an essay by John McPhee) to a set of unattended ghostly footnotes, from the Joan Didion elegy to the Anne Carson fantasia, this book shows what the essay is and what, with any luck, it will be. The collection is full of pleasures and surprises, the most stunning of which is the ongoing essay by D'Agata himself--he transforms a mere anthology into the living biography of an art form.” ―Michael Silverblatt, creator, producer, and host of public radio's "Bookworm"

“D'Agata avows love of the diversity of the essay form, and it is palpable on every page of this unique, esoteric, beautiful book. He tells the reader that he first became enamored of essays when his mother read him the news of the day while he was still in her womb. It is this kind of fantastic, myth-making perspective that runs through each entry of this anthology, whose contributors include such master essayists as John McPhee, Susan Sontag, Joan Didion and Annie Dillard. Hopping from one genre to another--biography, poetry, philosophy, travel writing, memoir--D'Agata makes the point that the essay is not just one form of writing but can be every form of writing . . . [Many of D'Agata's] choices convey the wondrously infinite possibilities of the essay form. Standouts include 'Unguided Tour,' Sontag's cranky philosophical dialogue with her inner self; 'Life Story,' David Shields's string of aphorisms composed entirely of bumper sticker slogans; 'Ticket to the Fair,' David Foster Wallace's colorful, compassionate tour of the Illinois State Fair; and 'The Body,' Jenny Boully's postmodern pastiche of autobiographical (or not) footnotes. D'Agata's idea of an essay--or lyric essay, as he comes to call these writings--conflates both art and fact, blurring the line between objectivity and subjectivity. The lyric essay, he says, has a 'kind of logic that wants to sing.' Readers, listen up, then: here is a book that makes some beautiful music.” ―Publishers Weekly

About the Author

John D'Agata is the author Halls of Fame. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he holds M.F.A.s in both nonfiction and poetry and is currently editor of lyric essays for Seneca Review.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Graywolf Press; Illustrated edition (February 1, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 475 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1555973752
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1555973759
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.64 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.09 x 1.24 x 8.79 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #519,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,662 in Essays (Books)

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John D'Agata

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John D’Agata is the author of Halls of Fame, About a Mountain, and The Lifespan of a Fact, as well as the editor of the 3-volume series A New History of the Essay, which includes the anthologies The Next American Essay, The Making of the American Essay, and The Lost Origins of the Essay. His work has been supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Howard Foundation Fellowship, an NEA Literature Fellowship, and a Lannan Foundation Fellowship. He lives in Iowa City, where he teaches creative writing University of Iowa and directs The Nonfiction Writing Program.

His website is https://www.johndagata.com.

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Monique Parker

If you like experimental essays, then this anthology is a must

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 15, 2006

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Some brief reviews of essays within the anthology:

Sherman Alexie's "Captivity" seemed rather experimental, even for Alexie. He tells a story in fourteen short passages or paragraphs, each a story within themselves. The device he uses to start the next passage is to pull a word from the last sentence of the previous paragraph and to incorporate that word into the first sentence of the next paragraph, its contents of which has nothing to with the previous passage. This technique gave the piece a sense of timing and poetry and well as a complex weaving of multiple stories from the past to present day. Ingenious, although challenging to follow.

"Total Eclipse," by Annie Dillard did very little for me. As with An American Childhood, Dillard either rubs you the right or wrong way--there's not much in between. She repeats herself for emphasis, which I found irritating. And while I find Dillard's work insightful and deep, I think it might be her pacing that didn't work for me. Or, maybe it's because she takes herself so seriously. Dunno.

David Foster Wallace's "Ticket to the Fair" is consistent with Wallace's style. This piece is born out of long dissecting prose (38 page essay), broken up by the times of day and the dates surrounding his visit to the Illinois State Fair. As with Wallace's other published work, he is unforgiving in his honest reporting of everything--from the humidity-stunned faces of fair goers, to the cloudless and dry weather, to the artificial grass that was rolled out over the browned dead grass where they held the press tour; Wallace leaves no stone unturned. His voice is one of unerring witticisms and bold-faced critiques; and for this, he remains one of my favorite contemporary writers.

In the "The Dream of India," Eliot Weinberger writes several pages of paradoxical lines and simple lists that form a narrative; a unique style I had not seen done before. Lots of material was used: details, facts, obscure types of birds, village people. It was difficult to discern whether every line was true, as his prose is dream-like and paradoxical, much like India itself.

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Lenora G.

Marvelous Collection

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 28, 2017

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This is a marvelous collection of essays, all kinds of them. D'Agata has arranged them chronologically, after his introduction to the book, beginning in 1975 with John McPhee's The Search for Marvin Gardens. You remember Marvin Gardens, don't you, from Monopoly? I learned a great deal about the game from his essay.

Every year until and including 2003 contains one essay representative of that year. And the book finishes with an Epilogue.

Do I have a favorite? Oh, yes, I'm sure I do. However, they are so different, one from the other, that it's really hard to choose. I found Erato Love Poetry the 1985 selection by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha so intriguing, I ordered Dictee. Kinds of Water by Anne Carson enthralled me. Black by Alexander Theroux now has several passages underlined. And The Body by Jenny Boully. Oh, what can I say about that essay? A whole, complete essay in footnotes. I love footnotes (I consider endnotes to be the Unforgivable Sin) and to find a whole essay written in them? Oh, I all but swooned.

Yes, there are several different kinds of essays in this collection. Some serious, some playful, all very well written. If you like essays at all, I strongly urge you to buy and read this book. I loved every word of it.

2 people found this helpful

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Adam Weinstein

Some good writing, some good theory

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 6, 2013

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You don't have to like John D'Agata or some of his showier cultural stunts to like this work. He does a good job of backgrounding and contextualizing experimental nonfiction, and some of the selections in here are to die for (a personal essay told deftly and funnily in only footnotes? Tell me you didn't wish you'd thought of that first). Anyone in a creative writing nonfic track or studying contemporary lit should find this a worthwhile read.

2 people found this helpful

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I'm waiting for the next one...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 23, 2016

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I got this for my kid so she can read the next American essay but I suppose there will be a sequel since there will always be another American essay. Maybe they should look into a subscription model for American essays with the next one automatically coming in the mail.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 24, 2013

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The essays in this book are the best of the best. Varied in their subjects and forms, they are wonderful examples of the lyric non fiction essay. I'll return to it often as I hone my skills as a writer. If you're used to hard form school essays this will throw you into a modern world of essays which thrill and poke at your brain. You might want to wear a helmet.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 24, 2018

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Nice essays. John does a good job introducing them as well.

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zebraguy

John D'Agata's first of three studies of the American essay. Hugely great reading.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 24, 2018

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If you never read Annie Dllard's 'Eclipse' or John McPhee's 'The Search for Marvin Gardens' you're in for a treat. And many more.

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Sally Elias

Used it for Creative Writing

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 27, 2018

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Some parts were interesting, but I did not find the book overall enjoyable.

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Bob Namataki

An interesting mish-mash

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 6, 2012

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This was bought as a set text for a course, not for the pleasure of the thing. Being a collection of writings by different authors working in creative nonfiction, it stands or falls on how successfully the compilation hangs together - assuming that such a thing is even possible.

Each piece is prefaced by the editor's thoughts on the essay as a medium for expression, and the particular way in which a given essay achieves this. I worry about books that feel the need to justify their existence, but the prefaces can be taken or left alone with no detrimental effect on the essays themselves.

The best pieces in the collection, like most great writing, escape the confines of classification, but given that there's a diversity of approaches, it's a matter of taste which ones work for which readers.

One issue might be how useful it was to confine the collection to American essays; if, for example, a non-American writer has created an exemplar of a particular approach to the essay, it seems a pity to exclude it. A companion piece to this book - The Lost Origins of the Essay - takes a global and historical approach and is the more interesting for it.

The Next American Essay is big, but with lots of white space and clear, readable text. The proofreading process was not all it could be, which is disappointing in an otherwise well presented book.

There's a degree of pretentiousness, experiment for the sake of experiment, and the artificiality of collecting essays in this way has the feel of strangers who've been brought together but don't necessarily mix well, but that aside it's a worthwhile read.

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