Title:
The destiny thief : essays on writing, writers, and life
Author:
Russo, Richard, 1949- author.
ISBN:
9781524733513
Personal Author:
Uniform Title:
Essays. Selections
Edition:
First edition.
Publication Information:
New York :
Alfred A. Knopf,
2018.
Physical Description:
205 pages ; 22 cm
General Note:
"This is a Borzoi book."
Contents:
The destiny thief -- The gravestone and the commode (The Sewanee review, summer 2017) -- Getting good (The Sewanee review, fall 2017) -- Address to the 2004 graduates of Colby College -- The Pickwick papers (introduction to Modern Library Classics edition, 2003) -- Imagining Jenny (afterword to Jennifer Boylan's She's not there: a life in two genders, 2003) -- What frogs think: a defense of omniscience -- Mark twain's nonfiction (introduction to volume 2, Everyman's Library edition, 2016) -- The boss in Bulgaria.
Abstract:
In these nine essays, Richard Russo provides insight into his life as a writer, teacher, friend, and reader. From a commencement speech he gave at Colby College, to the story of how an oddly placed toilet made him reevaluate the purpose of humor in art and life, to a comprehensive analysis of Mark Twain's value, to his harrowing journey accompanying a dear friend as she pursued gender-reassignment surgery, The Destiny Thief reflects the broad interests and experiences of one of America's most beloved authors. Warm, funny, wise, and poignant, the essays included here traverse Russo's writing life, expanding our understanding of who he is and how his singular, incredibly generous mind works. An utter joy to read, they give deep insight into the creative process from the prospective of one of our greatest writers.
Genre:
