Synopses & Reviews
A readerly wake-up call from one of America’s finest and most acclaimed working writers. Picking up where his NBCC Award finalist collection The Ecstasy of Influence left off, More Alive and Less Lonely collects more than a decade of Lethem’s finest writing on writing, with new and previously unpublished material, including: impassioned appeals for forgotten writers and overlooked books, razor-sharp essays, and personal accounts of his most extraordinary literary encounters and discoveries.
Only Lethem, with his love of cult favorites and the canon alike, can write with equal insight about the stories of modern masters like Lorrie Moore and Salman Rushdie, graphic novelist Chester Brown, science fiction outlier Philip K. Dick, and classic icons like Moby-Dick.
Edited by novelist Christopher Boucher (Golden Delicious), More Alive and Less Lonely deserves a place on every serious reader’s bookshelf. Lethem’s joyful approach to literature will inspire you to dive back into your favorite books and then point you towards what to read next.
Review
“…as sharp a critic as he is a novelist.” Austin American-Statesman
Review
“Thoughtful and often sly…[A] standout collection.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
"The title of Lethem’s varied collection of book reviews introductions and literary essays will surely resonate with any dedicated reader. Curious and adventurous readers will find a plethora of reading suggestions as Lethem (A Gambler’s Anatomy) talks about authors old and new. Indeed his dedication to contemporary writers is the main note here though he does delve into some canonical figures such as Charles Dickens. And his incisive colorful and insightful encapsulations of what makes their works special are beguiling whether he is describing Steven Millhauser’s “coolly feverish” prose or alerting readers to the “brief elliptical and precise” pre–Remains of the Day novels of Kazuo Ishiguro. Even as a critic he reads with enthusiasm. In his introduction to Tanguy Viel’s Beyond Suspicion he writes “The book’s reader will meet its opening pages with an intake of breath destined not to be completely released until its last lines have been reached.” He is particularly good at arousing interest in forgotten or obscure authors. Also running through his writing is a distinct love of his home town New York City and of New York authors such as Vivian Gornick and Daniel Fuchs. An enthusiastic introduction by Christopher Boucher precedes the collection. (Mar.)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Synopsis
A collection of bestselling, NBCC prize-winning author Jonathan Lethem’s finest writing on the subject of writers and writing.
About the Author
Jonathan Lethem is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including Dissident Gardens, The Fortress of Solitude, and Motherless Brooklyn; three short story collections; and two essay collections, including The Ecstasy of Influence, which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. A recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, Lethem’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and the New York Times, among other publications.
Editor Christopher Boucher is a professor of English at Boston College, editor of Post Road magazine, and author of the novels How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive and Golden Delicious, both from Melville House.