The Nearest Thing to Life

Posted on 04 September 2017 by James Wood

In this remarkable blend of memoir and criticism, James Wood has written a master class on the connections between fiction and life He argues that, of all the arts, fiction has a unique ability to describe the shape of our lives, and to rescue the texture of those lives from death and historical oblivion The act of reading is understood here as the most sacred and personal of activities, and there are brilliant discussions of individual works among others, Chekhov s story The Kiss , W.G Sebald s The Emigrants, and Fitzgerald s The Blue Flower.Wood reveals his own intimate relationship with the written word we see the development of a provincial boy growing up in a charged Christian environment, the secret joy of his childhood reading, the links he makes between reading and blasphemy, or between literature and music The final section discusses fiction in the context of exile and homelessness The Nearest Thing to Life is not simply a brief, tightly argued book by a man commonly regarded as our finest living critic it is also an exhilarating personal account that reflects on, and embodies, the fruitful conspiracy between reader and writer and critic , and asks us to re consider everything that is at stake when we read and write fiction. New Read The Nearest Thing to Life By James Wood For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr In the essay Serious Noticing , James Wood says that the great writers notice the details It is a Chekhovian eye for detail, the ability to notice well and seriously, the genius for selection that infuses a story and brings it to life He thinks of details as nothing less than bits of life sticking out of the frieze of form, imploring us to touch them Karl Ove Knausgaard, Chekhov, Elena Ferrante, Henry James, Saul Bellow are among the many writers he touches upon The essay called Why In the essay Serious Noticing , James Wood says that the great writers notice the details It is a Chekhovian eye for detail, the ability to notice well and seriously, the genius for selection that infuses a story and brings it to life He thinks of details as nothing less than bits of life sticking out of the frieze of form, imploring us to touch them Karl Ove Knausgaard, Chekhov, Elena Ferrante, Henry James, Saul Bellow are among the many writers he touches upon The essay called Why is introduced with a poignant yet clear eyed description of the memorial service of a friend s brother, using that as the springboard for the question of why do we die Why do we live What is the point Reading fiction has as profound a role as religion He sprinkles these seeds of ideas before him, striding confidently through his essay like a farmer planting out his crops for the umpteenth time He knows exa...Wood and me have always gone round and round, me thinking him too too flippant about some writing I really like,, him going all deep haaaarvard about writings I think facile and boring Plus, he s seemed so un generous at times to writers But then over generous to others Well, I guess he s got his reasons, and this book has reconciled us somewhat the wedding is BACK ON joke, please.This book is from a series of lectures at brandeis, and a talk at british museum and LRB s essay But have bee Wood and me have always gone round and round, me thinking him too too flippant about some writing I really like,, him going all deep haaaarvard about writings I think facile and boring Plus, he s seemed so un generous at times to writers But then over generous to others Well, I guess he s got his reasons, and th...James Wood il perfetto esempio di critica letteraria che riesce a diventare mainstream I suoi articoli sul New Yorker sono arcinoti, ha consacrato negli USA autori come Elena Ferrante e Karl Ove Knausgard ma altrettanto celebre per le sue stroncature la recensione de Il gigante sepolto di Ishiguro deliziosamente controcorrente Nel suo ultimo saggio La cosa pi vicina alla vita , l autore decide di associare all acume dell analisi letteraria, la contemplazione dei propri ricordi L a James Wood il perfetto esempio di critica letteraria che riesce a diventare mainstream I suoi articoli sul New Yorker sono arcinoti, ha consacrato negli ... Art is the nearest thing to life it is a mode of amplifying experience and extending our contact with our fellow men beyond the bounds of our personal lot George EliotGeorge Eliot has provided the perfect epigraph for James Wood s commentary on fiction and its importance in our lives,specifically its importance in his life These four essays, which originated as lectures at Brandeis University and the British Museum, combine critical insights with memoir and it is his personal reflecti Art is the nearest thing to life it is a mode of amplifying experience and extending our contact with our fellow men beyond the bounds of our personal lot George EliotGeorge Eliot has provided the perfect epigraph for James Wood s commentary on fiction and its importance in our lives,specifically its importance in his life These four essays, which originated as lectures at Brandeis University and the British Museum, combine critical i...Four stars mainly because he sort of reiterates a few insights that appeared in previous books Not the worst literary crime of all time, and I happen to agree with them, but there it is Butimportantly, I think he has a beautifully lucid, learned and accessible ...I m certain it helped that I heard Wood give a reading of the first part of the fourth chapter I had his wonderfully lyrical voice, his lilting cadence, to accompany the experience of consuming his words on my ow...Una delicia de libro, James Wood cr tico literario del New Yorker traza de manera nost lgica los hechos que, desde la infancia, lo llevaron a la literatura Paralelamente encadena brillantes interpretaciones de cl sicos como El beso de Ch jov y pasajes de Bellow o Knausg rd Wood lo que hace es arrojar luz sobre los detalles que diferencian a los grandes escritores del resto, propone formas d...James Wood is charming, weaving sentimental antidotes from his own life with quotations and allusions to the many literary works which have impacted him Waxing nostalgic, and introspective on how life matters to us, Wood is in his prime He echoes the voice of a sharp literary critic who has softened with age.The Nearest Thing to Life is a collection of 4 short essays derived from lectures given in ...So, literature for JW is the nearest thing to life Stories in life and literature are dynamic combinations of surplus I like this definition Literary criticism should not be about books, but a critical retelling a way of writing throughbooks And I agree with him here too What Goodreads tells us about this bo...What a lovely book.

English
04 September 2017

James Wood