William Giraldi’s American Audacity begins with a couple audacious statements: Giraldi says Emily Dickinson is the best American poet and no one other than an American could have written Moby Dick. American Audacity explores dozens of literary topics and a gaggle of writers.
I enjoyed the essays on Cynthia Ozick, David Denby, Lionel Trilling, and Joseph Epstein–all critics whose books I’ve read faithfully over the years. Giraldi’s essay on Moby Dick is thought-provoking. “Darkness There: Edgar Allan Poe” forced me to go to my Library of America Poe volume and reread some stories. And after reading Giraldi on Daniel Woodrell, I wanted to drop everything and read some Woodrell. If you’re hungering for some intelligent, well written literary essays, you’ll find what you’re looking for in William Giraldi’s American Audacity. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION: American Audacity xi
AMERICAN MOMENTS
Creative destruction — 3
Problem of the Catholic novelist — 15
Bibliophile — 31
Art of hate mail — 46
Writer’s immortality — 60
American bestsellers — 73
Single shade of grey — 83
Memoir now — 91
Terms of terror — 102
Promise of happiness — 108
AMERICAN CRITICS
Thinking Things Anew: Cynthia Ozick — 117
School of Fish: Stanley Fish –125
Death and the Sun: Katie Roiphe –140
Clearer Air: David Denby — 146
Ideal Critic: Lionel Trilling — 160
Why to Read: Wendy Lesser — 165
Living Labyrinth: Harold Bloom — 170
The Tomahawk: James Wolcott — 185
Against Dullness: Joseph Epstein — 192
Unmaking It: Norman Podhoretz — 206
On Literature and Love. 219
AMERICAN STORIES
The Magican: Allan Gurganus — 233
Mockingbird, Incorporated: Harper Lee — 267
The Devil and James Baldwin –292
Satan is a Whaler: Moby Dick. — 308
Darkness There: Edgar Allan Poe — 321
The Hedonist: Carl Van Vechten — 340
Fabled Beyond: Daniel Woodrell — 355
Sick in God: Christian Wiman — 362
What We Share: Elizabeth Spencer — 370
Only the Mess: Padgett Powell — 377
Thrill Me: Barry Hannah — 387
Truth to Spirit: Lauren Slater — 400
Far from God: Denis Johnson — 410
On Influence: Cormac McCarthy — 420
Fabled Waste: Child of God — 426
The Monkey’s Business: Francine Prose — 433
The Ballad of Mom and Dad: Richard Ford — 438
Acknowledgements — 443
Index — 445
The third section sounds the most interesting to me. He writes about some of my favorite writers-Cormac McCarthy, Daniel Woodrell, Barry Hannah, Denis Johnson. Unfortunately I checked my library on line and nobody in the inter library system has a copy. I’ll keep it in mind and check again at a later date hoping someone picks it up.
Steve, our online Library Catalog has an option to suggest a book purchase. I’m batting about .900 with my suggestions. If the Librarians take my suggestion and buy the book, they also put in a RESERVE on the book for me gratis. Nice feature!
George, thanks for spotlighting this book. I have a certain fondness for literary essays which I mostly read online. I’m not up to date with contemporary literary essays.
Prashant, AMERICAN AUDACITY features essays on a wide range of writers. You’d get an accurate view of the American literary scene with this book.
Sounds good but I am so far behind at the moment.
Jeff, we returned home to find a stack of AMAZON packages! I’m falling farther behind, too!
I first noticed this when it was published 2-3 months ago. A library check revealed Giraldi’s two novels, but not this, and they still don’t have it. This may be worth a purchase. Since I tend to read books like this piecemeal over a period of weeks or even months, getting a library copy doesn’t work that well anyway.
Michael, the essays in AMERICAN AUDACITY vary in length so you can easily read it piecemeal over a period of weeks or months. Used copies are available on the Internet at affordable prices.