Awards
2002 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism
2002 New York Times Notable Book
From Powells.com
"The title of William H. Gass's latest essay collection implicitly invites the reader to consider whether or not Mr. Gass will pass the test of time that every writer eventually faces. Chances are that his esoteric fiction, enjoyed by a small and mostly academic audience, will not, but that his witty and often elitist essays will. For an explanation of why, one need only read a few pages of Tests of Time to experience the ferocious, indispensable intellect of one of America's most celebrated essayists." Jason Picone, Powells.com (read the entire Powells.com review)
Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
In these 14 witty and elegant essays, William Gass writes about writing, reading, culture, history, politics, and public opinion--a high-wire act of thinking and writing that serves up what Vladimir Nabokov called an "indescribable tingle of the spine."
About the Author
William H. Gass was born in Fargo, North Dakota. He is the recipient of the first PEN/Nabokov Award, a National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism, a Lanan Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, a Medal of Merit for Fiction, an Award for Fiction from the Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and fellowships from both the Rockefeller and Guggenheim Foundations. He is the author also of Reading Rilke, Cartesian Sonota, and Finding a Form. He lives in St. Louis.