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).
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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).Publishers WeeklyThis collection is satisfying in its unexpected diversity and tasty juxtapositions--from Garry Wills’s conservative “apostasy” to Matt Labash’s surprising portrait of Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry, Walter Isaacson’s look at how Einstein divided American Zionism to Steven L. Isenberg’s recollections of his encounters with four British superstar writers when he was a fledgling New York editor. Elif Batuman gives an offbeat report on speculation about how Tolstoy died, and Zadie Smith looks at Obama, Shakespeare, and the expression of inner conflict between cultures. And what essay collection would be complete without one on the godfather of the form, Michel de Montaigne, in a piece by Jane Kramer? The sources are as diverse as the subjects: the Alaska Quarterly, American Scholar, Harvard Review, Oregon Humanities, and the Weekly Standard. Every reader will come away delighted and enlightened. (Oct. 5)
Foreword Robert Atwan Atwan, RobertIntroduction Christopher Hitchens Hitchens, ChristopherThe Murder of Leo Tolstoy Elif Batuman Batuman, Elif 1From Harper's MagazineThe Bad Lion Toni Bentley Bentley, Toni 22From the New York Review of BooksThe Dead Book Jane Churchon Churchon, Jane 27From the SunIrreconcilable Dissonance Brian Doyle Doyle, Brian 33From Oregon HumanitiesThe Elegant Eyeball John Gamel Gamel, John 36From Alaska Quartely ReviewHow Einstein Divided America's Jews Walter Isaacson Isaacson, Walter 49From the AtlanticLunching on Olympus Steven L. Isenberg Isenberg, Steven L. 60From the American ScholarMe, Myself, and I Jane Kramer Kramer, Jane 74From the New YorkerWhen Writers Speak Arthur Krystal Krystal, Arthur 87From the New York Times Book ReviewA Rake's Progress Matt Labash Labash, Matt 91From the Weekly StandardBrooklyn the Unknowable Phillip Lopate Lopate, Phillip 115From Harvard ReviewOn John Updike Ian McEwan McEwan, Ian 128From the New York Review of BooksMy Genome, My Self Steven Pinker Pinker, Steven 136From the new York Times MagazineGyromancy Ron Rindo Rindo, Ron 156From the Gettysburg ReviewGuy Walks into a Bar Car David Sedaris Sedaris, David 169From the New YorkerSpeaking in Tongues Zadie Smith Smith, Zadie 179From the New York Review of BooksRediscovering Central Asia S. Frederick Starr Starr, S. Frederick 195From the Wilson QuarterlyGettysburg Regres John H. Summers Summers, John H. 210From the New RepublicFatheralong John Edgar Wideman Wideman, John Edgar 218From Harper's MagazineDaredevil Garry Wills Wills, Garry 224From the AtlanticA Fine Rage James Wood Wood, James 237From the New YorkerContributors' Notes 257Notable Essays of 2009 262
\ Publishers WeeklyThis collection is satisfying in its unexpected diversity and tasty juxtapositions--from Garry Wills’s conservative “apostasy” to Matt Labash’s surprising portrait of Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry, Walter Isaacson’s look at how Einstein divided American Zionism to Steven L. Isenberg’s recollections of his encounters with four British superstar writers when he was a fledgling New York editor. Elif Batuman gives an offbeat report on speculation about how Tolstoy died, and Zadie Smith looks at Obama, Shakespeare, and the expression of inner conflict between cultures. And what essay collection would be complete without one on the godfather of the form, Michel de Montaigne, in a piece by Jane Kramer? The sources are as diverse as the subjects: the Alaska Quarterly, American Scholar, Harvard Review, Oregon Humanities, and the Weekly Standard. Every reader will come away delighted and enlightened. (Oct. 5)\ \ \ \ \ From the Publisher\ "This collection is satisfying in its unexpected diversity and tasty juxtapositions . . . Every reader will come away delighted and enlightened."—Publishers Weekly, starred review\ "A wide variety of quality writing, both reflective and reported."—Kirkus Reviews\ \ \ \ Library JournalThis selection of the year's outstanding essays of literary achievement at first appears to be a book for those J.D. Salinger called "lifetime English major[s]." Entries such as "The Murder of Leo Tolstoy" by Elif Batuman, "Lunching on Olympus" by Steven L. Isenberg, and "A Fine Rage" by James Woods all focus on the essayist's reaction to meeting or reading the works of famous authors such as George Orwell and Philip Larkin. After digging further into the collection of 21 entries, however, readers will discover gems that quickly move the book beyond the realm of an English class curriculum. "The Elegant Eyeball" by John Gamel explains a doctor's duty when healing has failed to accompany patients on the "lonely road to disability and death." Matt Labash's "A Rake of Progress" takes readers through several days in the Washington, DC, life of Marion Barry, the former mayor and current council member, who blames other people for his drug and tax problems. "The Dead Book" by Jane Churchon details the respect and dignity required of a nursing supervisor asked to pronounce "Mrs. Jones" dead. VERDICT This new contribution to a series published annually since 1986 is a required library acquisition and perfect for writers seeking a concentrated look at contemporary essay writing.—Joyce Sparrow, Kenneth City, FL\ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsPlenty of good reading in this 25th annual anthology, though it extends the definition of "essay" past the point of category.\ In the foreword, series editor Robert Atwan addresses the technological changes that have, or haven't, affected the essay: "What are blogs but today's version of essays in disguise?" This volume's editor, Vanity Fair contributor Hitchens (Hitch-22, 2010, etc.), offers an economic consideration that the year "was not a healthy one for the sorts of magazines that take the risk of publishing the essay form." (The magazines represented in this installment include mostly the usual suspects, like the New Yorker, Harper's, The Atlantic and the New York Review of Books, with only one real surprise: the Alaska Quarterly Review.) But what is that essay form? One of the pieces, "A Rake's Progress" by Matt Labash, is a fairly standard—and very good—feature profile of former Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry. Another, "Speaking in Tongues" by Zadie Smith, is a reprint of a lecture she delivered at the New York Public Library. James Wood's concluding "A Fine Range" is an extended book review of a couple of recent collections of George Orwell's essays. Among the pieces that would be more conventionally classified as essays are illuminating appreciations of John Updike (by Ian McEwan) and William F. Buckley (by Garry Wills). Jane Kramer's "Me, Myself, and I," about reading Montaigne, cuts to the heart of the essay and the essence of coming to terms with life and death through writing, while Brian Doyle's short, sharp "Irreconcilable Dissonance" uses divorce to make provocative comments on marriage. Other notable contributors include David Sedaris, Steven Pinker, Walter Isaacson and Phillip Lopate.\ A wide variety of quality writing, both reflective and reported.\ \ \
