Bamboo: Essays and Criticism by William Boyd

A review by David Haglund

There may not be a more sensible set of literary reviews published this year than those in Bamboo, the first collection of such pieces -- plus art reviews, travel writing and other assorted articles -- from the British novelist William Boyd. The author of nine novels, three story collections and many screenplays, Boyd is unfailingly judicious, whether praising the "potent manipulation of symbol" in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, the "compelling dry-eyed poignancy" of Raymond Carver's stories or the "curious blend of faux naïveté and profanity, of innocence and deep irony" in the writerly voice of Kurt Vonnegut.

It's difficult, in fact, to argue with any of Boyd's conclusions. But if one can't argue with a review, why bother with it at all? One would rather -- at least, I would rather -- read a striking if ultimately dubious argument about a book or a movie than the level-headed evaluations provided in these pages. It is more important for a critic to be interesting than to be...

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