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Foreword Robert Atwan Atwan, Robert
Introduction Christopher Hitchens Hitchens, Christopher
The Murder of Leo Tolstoy Elif Batuman Batuman, Elif 1
From Harper's Magazine
The Bad Lion Toni Bentley Bentley, Toni 22
From the New York Review of Books
The Dead Book Jane Churchon Churchon, Jane 27
From the Sun
Irreconcilable Dissonance Brian Doyle Doyle, Brian 33
From Oregon Humanities
The Elegant Eyeball John Gamel Gamel, John 36
From Alaska Quartely Review
How Einstein Divided America's Jews Walter Isaacson Isaacson, Walter 49
From the Atlantic
Lunching on Olympus Steven L. Isenberg Isenberg, Steven L. 60
From the American Scholar
Me, Myself, and I Jane Kramer Kramer, Jane 74
From the New Yorker
When Writers Speak Arthur Krystal Krystal, Arthur 87
From the New York Times Book Review
A Rake's Progress Matt Labash Labash, Matt 91
From the Weekly Standard
Brooklyn the Unknowable Phillip Lopate Lopate, Phillip 115
From Harvard Review
On John Updike Ian McEwan McEwan, Ian 128
From the New York Review of Books
My Genome, My Self Steven Pinker Pinker, Steven 136
From the new York Times Magazine
Gyromancy Ron Rindo Rindo, Ron 156
From the Gettysburg Review
Guy Walks into a Bar Car David Sedaris Sedaris, David 169
From the New Yorker
Speaking in Tongues Zadie Smith Smith, Zadie 179
From the New York Review of Books
Rediscovering Central Asia S. Frederick Starr Starr, S. Frederick 195
From the Wilson Quarterly
Gettysburg Regres John H. Summers Summers, John H. 210
From the New Republic
Fatheralong John Edgar Wideman Wideman, John Edgar 218
From Harper's Magazine
Daredevil Garry Wills Wills, Garry 224
From the Atlantic
A Fine Rage James Wood Wood, James 237
From the New Yorker
Contributors' Notes 257
Notable Essays of 2009 262
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Derek Devine
reviewed The Best American Essays on March 02, 2019
The Best American Essays
I'll admit that I finished less than half the essays, but what I did read was light, funny, and informative. I've read that you should always read the first and last poem in an anthology, since that's where poets place their best work, and it sounds like invaluable advice for this anthology too. The first essay about "The Murder of Tolstoy" is brilliant and informative satire about Russian studies in academia, although it does go too far in embarrassing old professors.
At the same time, this isn't really a collection of American essays. Hitchens, a British guest editor, chooses topics which are quite interesting but slightly obvious to, say, a reader in New York. It's apparently a truism that people in Manhattan never cross over the bridge to see Brooklyn, etc. (I just saw Meg Ryan mention it in a movie), but it took Hitchens to include an explanation of this for non-New Yorkers.
Also, I'm glad someone was given a prominent platform to mention that the Brit George Orwell had a strange practice of putting his best turns of phrase in essays, but seldom in fiction. I didn't find "1984" nearly as grim as "Shooting an Elephant." I notice the same thing when I'm writing my own short stories, as if a contrarian nature makes my fiction sound tedious and semi-true, and the opposite happens where truth seems overwhelming.
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Add The Best American Essays, The provocative and best-selling author Christopher Hitchens takes the helm of the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of this perennial favorite that is reliable and yet still surprising—the best of the best (Kirkus Reviews)., The Best American Essays to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
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Add The Best American Essays, The provocative and best-selling author Christopher Hitchens takes the helm of the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of this perennial favorite that is reliable and yet still surprising—the best of the best (Kirkus Reviews)., The Best American Essays to your collection on WonderClub |
