Synopses & Reviews
Phillip Lopate's richest and most ambitious book yet--the final volume of a trilogy that began with
Bachelorhood and
Against Joie de Vivre--
Portrait of My Body is a powerful memoir in the form of interconnected personal essays. One of America's foremost essayists, who helped focus attention on the form in his acclaimed anthology
The Art of the Personal Essay, Lopate demonstrates here just how far a writer can go in the direction of honesty and risk taking.
In thirteen essays, Lopate explores the resources and limits of the self, its many disguises, excuses, and unmaskings, with his characteristic wry humor and insight. From the title essay, a hilarious physical self-exam, to the haunting portrait of his ex-colleague Donald Barthelme, to the bittersweet account of his long-delayed surrender to marriage, "On Leaving Bachelorhood," Lopate wrestles with finding the proper balance between detachment and empathy, doubt and conviction. In other essays, he celebrates his love of film and city life, and reflects on his religious identity as a Jew. A wrenchingly vivid, unforgettable portrait of the author's eccentric, solipsistic, aged father, a self-proclaimed failure, is the centerpiece of a suite of essays about father-figures and resisted mentors. The book ends with the author's own introduction to fatherhood, as witness to the birth of his daughter.
A book that will engage readers with its conversational eloquence, skeptical intelligence, candor, and mischief, Portrait of My Body is a captivating work of literary nonfiction.
Synopsis
Phillip Lopate's richest and most ambitious bookyet--the final volume of a trilogy that began with
Bachelorhood and
AgainstJoie de Vivre--
Portrait of MyBody is a powerful memoir in the form ofinterconnected personal essays. One of America'sforemost essayists, who helped focus attention onthe form in his acclaimed anthology
TheArt of the Personal Essay, Lopatedemonstrates here just how far a writer can go in thedirection of honesty and risktaking.
In thirteen essays, Lopate explores theresources and limits of the self, its many disguises, excuses, and unmaskings, with his characteristicwry humor and insight. From the title essay, ahilarious physical self-exam, to the hauntingportrait of his ex-colleague Donald Barthelme, to thebittersweet account of his long-delayed surrenderto marriage, "On Leaving Bachelorhood,"Lopate wrestles with finding the proper balancebetween detachment and empathy, doubt andconviction. In other essays, he celebrates his love offilm and city life, and reflects on his religiousidentity as a Jew. A wrenchingly vivid, unforgettable portrait of the author's eccentric, solipsistic, aged father, a self-proclaimed failure, isthe centerpiece of a suite of essays aboutfather-figures and resisted mentors. The book ends withthe author's own introduction to fatherhood, aswitness to the birth of his daughter.
A book that will engage readers with itsconversational eloquence, skeptical intelligence, candor, and mischief, Portrait of MyBody is a captivating work of literarynonfiction."
Synopsis
Phillip Lopate's richest and most ambitious book yet -- the final volume of a trilogy that began with Bacbelorhood and Against Joie de Vivre -- Portrait of My Body is a powerful memoir in the form of interconnected personal essays. One of America's foremost essay writers, and the editor of the new Anchor Essay Annual 1997 (see page 12), Lopate demonstrates again his "consummate skill as an essayist" (Houston Chonicle).
With his characteristic wry humor and insight, Lopate explores the resources and limits of the self, its many disguises, excuses, and unmaskings. From the title essay -- a hilarious physical exam -- to the haunting portrait of his excolleague Donald Barthelme, to the bittersweet account of his long-delayed surrender to marriage, "On Leaving Bachelorhood", Lopate presents a collection rich with the events and accidents of a self-written life. A book that will engage readers with its eloquence, intelligence, and mischief, Portrait of My Body is a captivating work of literary nonfiction.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
PART ONE: THE SKEPTICS PROMENADE
The Moody Traveler
Portrait of My Body
The Dead Father: A Remembrance of Donald Barthelme
Confessions of a Shusher
The Movies and Spiritual Life
Resistance to the Holocaust
PARTTWO: THE INESCAPABLE EGO
On Leaving Bachelorhood
Detachment and Passion
Terror of Mentors
The Story of My Father
The Invisible Woman
Memories of Greenwich Village: A Meander
Delivering Lily