Synopses & Reviews
Curiosity has been seen through the ages as the impulse that drives our knowledge forward and the temptation that leads us toward dangerous and forbidden waters. The question andldquo;Why?andrdquo; has appeared under a multiplicity of guises and in vastly different contexts throughout the chapters of human history. Why does evil exist? What is beauty? How does language inform us? What defines our identity? What is our responsibility to the world? In Alberto Manguelandrsquo;s most personal book to date, the author tracks his own life of curiosity through the reading that has mapped his way.
Manguel chooses as his guides a selection of writers who sparked his imagination. He dedicates each chapter to a single thinker, scientist, artist, or other figure who demonstrated in a fresh way how to ask andldquo;Why?andrdquo; Leading us through a full gallery of inquisitives, among them Thomas Aquinas, David Hume, Lewis Carroll, Rachel Carson, Socrates, and, most importantly, Dante, Manguel affirms how deeply connected our curiosity is to the readings that most astonish us, and how essential to the soaring of our own imaginations.
and#160;
Review
and#8220;A book no self-respecting dreamer should be without."and#8212;The Economist
and#8220;Presented with mock solemnity and written with grace and wit; a pleasure to read."and#8212;Newsweek
and#8220;A very satisfying work . . . witty and stylish."and#8212;The New York Times
Review
andquot;How wonderfully appropriate that the endlessly inquisitive Alberto Manguel should consider the fascinating concept of curiosity. Fueled by a lifetime of reading, and with Dante as his guide, he embarks on an elegantly conceived excursion of the mind, driven by a single, timeless wordandmdash;why?andquot;andmdash;Nicholas A. Basbanes, author of On Paper and A Gentle Madness
Review
andquot;Manguel vaults over the traditional fences of genre, literary history, and discipline with breathtaking virtuosity. He is the Montaigne de nos jours and, as regards this latest effort, if they put another rover on Mars they should call it and#39;Manguel.and#39;andquot;andmdash;John Sutherland, University College London
Review
andquot;For Alberto Manguel reading is a pilgrimage, a secular-sacred encounter with mystery, and a way of reinvigorating the dead. Dante and Montaigne and Pinocchioand#39;s Collodi are his guides and his intimates in this passionate quest for knowledge, but it is the state of inquiry itself and even doubt that define for him the pleasures of curiosity. With his loving, keenly felt, highly enjoyable delving into writers and their writings, Manguel argues for literatureandrsquo;s revelatory illusions, its epiphanies and its testimony.andquot;andmdash;Marina Warner, author of Stranger Magic: Charmed States and the Arabian Nights
Review
andquot;Alberto Manguel is a wanderer among books, immensely curious in such an intriguing way that he lets his readers easily discover the fruits of his curiosity.andquot;andmdash;Roberto Calasso
Review
andquot;This is a dynamic, lively book that leads the reader to appreciate the pleasures and the power of curiosity. In writing its remarkable history Alberto Manguel sees it both as a primary passion and as a force behind all intellectual experiences.andnbsp; In a sort of encyclopedic narrative Manguel journeys over the most distant placesandmdash;from Danteandrsquo;s Florence to Rome, Jerusalem, Athens, and Latin America, etc.andmdash;and he invites us to a grand tour of wonders and surprises.andquot;andmdash;Giuseppe Mazzotta, Yale University
Review
andquot;Manguel travels through books in the same way he travels through various countries. He meets new friends and asks questions of them about himself, and about life. In a style which is all his own, he delights us with the unlimited bounds of human curiosity.andquot;andmdash;Lina Bolzoni, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa
Review
andldquo;An erudite analysis and exploration of curiosity through the authorand#39;s own works and those of countless others. . . . Among the fictional or mythical characters that readers meet on this journey through the history of mankind are Eve, Pandora, Ulysses, and Ebenezer Scrooge, as well as a host of real scholars, religious figures, authors, poets, artists, philosophers and even economists. Human beings are, Manguel notes, self-conscious animals, capable of experiencing the world by asking questions and putting our curiosity into words, then turning those words into stories that lead to further questions.andrdquo;andmdash;Kirkus Reviews
Review
andldquo;The search for knowledge, and the discontents associated with that search, provide a loose pretext for this rambling literary meditation.andrdquo;andmdash;Publishers Weekly
Review
andldquo;Certain books are so absorbing, and so wide-ranging, that even the index at the back becomes entertaining. Curiosity (Yale University Press), a new work by Alberto Manguel, falls in that category.andrdquo;andmdash;Robert Fulford, National Post
Review
andldquo;Elegant and erudite, his book is a celebration of critical readingandmdash;a challenging, enjoyable and essential craft that is in danger these days of becoming a lost art.andrdquo;andmdash;Glenn Altschuler, Psychology Today
Review
andldquo;A profound, insightful look into the human proclivity for questions, through literature.andrdquo;andmdash;Noah Cruickshank, Shelf Awareness for Readers
Review
andlsquo;Reading Mr. Manguel is like taking a city walk or an unhurried meal with an erudite, cosmopolitan friendandhellip; Few cultures or historical periods are closed to him. He hops knowledgeably and divertingly from topic to topic. Yet he never strays far from his true interest, reading itself.andrsquo;andmdash;
The Economist.
Review
andldquo;Curiosity is a book about the Talmud and the Mars rover, sophistry and knot-languages, David Hume and reading machines, Zoroaster and Pinocchio andmdash; and, periodically, curiosity and Dante. [Manguel] embraces the character of his own thinking andmdash; miscellaneous, excursive, fragmentary. . . . Closing the last page of this book, I wondered if perhaps Manguel intended to demonstrate curiosity in the behavior of his prose more than to discuss it. In many ways the book ought to be approached as a charming portrait of the curious man.andrdquo;andmdash;Robert Minto, Open Letters Monthly
Review
andldquo;[Manguelandrsquo;s] andlsquo;writing with what others have written,andrsquo; his insistence on being called a reader rather than a critic or an editor, is a noble stance, and he has been faithful to it. May he and his library long flourish.andrdquo;andmdash;Philip Marchand, National Post
Review
andldquo;An eloquent blend of philosophical review, literary audit and memoir. . . . There are plenty of intriguing images and illustrations embedded within the text that help to place us in an earlier time, but a readerandrsquo;s experience with language can also be constructively reset with the help of Manguel. . . . Reading Manguelandrsquo;s book is a pleasing reminder that time, as much as anything, changes our relationship with art, ideas, but also with language itself.andrdquo;andmdash;Iain Reid, Toronto Globe and Mail
Review
andlsquo;Alberto Manguelandrsquo;s dizzying account of curiosity is a fitting testament to his life as a literary evangelist.andrsquo;andmdash;Duncan White, the Daily Telegraph.andnbsp;
Review
andlsquo;Curiosity is amongst the most interesting parades of humane knowledge, wry speculation and intellectual versatility that any curious person might hope to readandhellip; Time and again Manguel retrieves dusty stuff from the out-trays of history and restores them to beguiling currency.andrsquo;andmdash;Frederic Raphael, Literary Review.andnbsp;
Review
andlsquo;Enormously enjoyable about the pleasures of readingandhellip; [a book] about how books help us to be thoughtful, feeling human beings.andrsquo;andmdash;Jonathan Bate, New Statesman.andnbsp;andnbsp;
Synopsis
A catalogue of fantasy lands, islands, cities, and other locations from world literature, from Atlantis to Xanadu and beyond.
This Baedeker of make-believe takes readers on a tour of more than 1,200 realms invented by storytellers from Homer's day to our own. Here you will find Shangri-La and El Dorado, Utopia and Middle Earth, Wonderland and Freedonia.
Here too are Jurassic Park, Salman Rushdie's Sea of Stories, and the fabulous world of Harry Potter. The history and behavior of the inhabitants of these lands are described in loving detail and are supplemented by more than 200 maps and illustrations that depict the lay of the land in a host of elsewheres.
A must-have for the library of every dedicated reader, fantasy fan, or passionate browser, Dictionary is a witty and acute guide for any armchair traveler's journey into the landscape of the imagination.
Synopsis
From Atlantis to Xanadu and beyond, this Baedeker of make-believe takes readers on a tour of more than 1,200 realms invented by storytellers from Homer's day to our own. Here you will find Shangri-La and El Dorado; Utopia and Middle Earth; Wonderland and Freedonia. Here too are Jurassic Park, Salman Rushdie's Sea of Stories, and the fabulous world of Harry Potter. The history and behavior of the inhabitants of these lands are described in loving detail, and are supplemented by more than 200 maps and illustrations that depict the lay of the land in a host of elsewheres. A must-have for the library of every dedicated reader, fantasy fan, or passionate browser, Dictionary is a witty and acute guide for any armchair traveler's journey into the landscape of the imagination.
Synopsis
An eclectic history of human curiosity, a great feast of ideas, and a memoir of a reading life from the internationally celebrated Alberto Manguel
Synopsis
The first short story collection in the Margellos series, from a master of the genre and an irrepressible critic during Argentina’s brutal years of repression
Synopsis
Acclaimed for the gemlike perfection of her short stories, Liliana Heker has repeatedly received major literary awards in her native Argentina. Her work has some of the dark humor of Saki or Roald Dahl, and her versatility and range have earned her a wide, appreciative audience. This expertly translated volume brings to English-language readers the full compass of Heker’s stories, from her earliest published volume (1966) through her most recent (2011).
Heker rejected exile during the dangerous Dirty War years and formed part of a cultural resistance that stood against repression. As a writer, she found in the microcosm of the family and everyday events subtle entry into political, historical, and social issues. Heker’s stories examine the rituals people invent to relate to one another, especially girls and women, and they reveal how the consequences of tiny acts may be enormous. With charm, economy, and a close focus on the intimate, Heker has perfected the art of the glimpse.
About the Author
Liliana Heker is the author of five volumes of short stories and two novels and the founding editor of two literary magazines widely read in Latin America. During Argentina’s years of violent repression (1976–83), she continued to write and edit left-wing literary journals while also helping to give voice to authors silenced by the regime. She lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Alberto Manguel, an internationally acclaimed author and reader, writes in both English and Spanish.
Miranda France is a translator and writer. Her books include Bad Times in Buenos Aires and Don Quixote’s Delusions.