Synopses & Reviews
In
At Large and At Small, Anne Fadiman returns to one of her favorite genres, the familiar essay--a beloved and hallowed literary tradition recognized for both its intellectual breadth and its miniaturist focus on everyday experiences. With the combination of humor and erudition that has distinguished her as one of our finest essayists, Fadiman draws us into twelve of her personal obsessions: from her slightly sinister childhood enthusiasm for catching butterflies to her monumental crush on Charles Lamb, from her wistfulness for the days of letter-writing to the challenges and rewards of moving from the city to the country.
Many of these essays were composed "under the influence" of the subject at hand. Fadiman ingests a shocking amount of ice cream and divulges her passion for Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Chocolate Chip and her brother's homemade Liquid Nitrogen Kahlúa Coffee (recipe included); she sustains a terrific caffeine buzz while recounting Balzac's coffee addiction; and she stays up till dawn to write about being a night owl, examining the rhythms of our circadian clocks and sharing such insomnia cures as her father's nocturnal word games and Lewis Carroll's mathematical puzzles. At Large and At Small is a brilliant and delightful collection of essays that harkens a revival of a long-cherished genre.
Review
"Detailed and elegant, [her essays] reveal a reflective writer with rarefied interests . . . [an] engaging mixture of intellectual exploration, textured storytelling and accessible prose." Time Out New York
Review
"This essay collection by the former editor of The American Scholar attempts to bring back the 'familiar essay,' a less formal rumination on a given topic. From homemade ice cream to the charms of being a night owl, the subjects of these essays may seem as if they're chosen without any discrimination (hence the title), but they're all equally celebrated with Fadiman's wit and insight." Venus Zine
Review
"Anne Fadiman wins our attention by directing hers with unwavering focus at the world around her. Her perceptions are astute and her sensibility is so rich and sane no calculation could violate it. The personal essay was invented so that writers like Fadiman could practice it." Sven Birkerts
Review
"Limpid, learned, perspicacious — and relentless. Whatever the subject, Anne Fadiman overlooks nothing, imparts everything, and leaves you wanting more." Thomas Mallon
Review
"These are wonderful essays. The writing is effortless, elegant, and clear, the subjects delightful or weighty or both. Anne Fadiman had me completely charmed by page four." Ian Frazier
Synopsis
In
At Large and At Small, Anne Fadiman returns to one of her favorite genres, the familiar essay a beloved and hallowed literary tradition recognized for both its intellectual breadth and its miniaturist focus on everyday experiences. With the combination of humor and erudition that has distinguished her as one of our finest essayists, Fadiman draws us into twelve of her personal obsessions: from her slightly sinister childhood enthusiasm for catching butterflies to her monumental crush on Charles Lamb, from her wistfulness for the days of letter-writing to the challenges and rewards of moving from the city to the country.
Many of these essays were composed "under the influence" of the subject at hand. Fadiman ingests a shocking amount of ice cream and divulges her passion for Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Chocolate Chip and her brothers homemade Liquid Nitrogen Kahlua Coffee (recipe included); she sustains a terrific caffeine buzz while recounting Balzacs coffee addiction; and she stays up till dawn to write about being a night owl, examining the rhythms of our circadian clocks and sharing such insomnia cures as her fathers nocturnal word games and Lewis Carrolls mathematical puzzles.
At Large and At Small is a brilliant and delightful collection of essays that harkens a revival of a long-cherished genre.
Synopsis
At Large and At Small is a brilliant and delightful collection of essays that harkens a revival of a long-cherished genre.
About the Author
Anne Fadiman is the author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, winner of a National Book Critics Circle Award, an L.A. Times Book Prize, and a Salon Book Award. She is also the author of the essay collection Ex Libris and the editor of Rereadings: Seventeen Writers Revisit Books They Love. Her essays and articles have appeared in Harpers, The New Yorker, and The New York Times, among other publications. She is the Francis Writer-in-Residence at Yale.