Magic Hours collects Tom Bissell’s explorations of the creative process. Bissell shows what happens on the set of The Big Bang Theory. He analyzes Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. Bissell interviews director Werner Herzog and surveys his films. Other essays investigate Iraq War documentaries and video-game character voices. In “Unflowered Aloes” and “Grief and the Outsider,” Bissell considers the longevity of literary fame. Using the works Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Herman Melville, Bissell shows how initial neglect led to eventual fame. The book ends with an essay on the novels and poetry of Jim Harrison, best known for his novella Legends of the Fall (which later turned out to be a pretty good movie). After I read this essay, I wanted to drop everything and read some Jim Harrison! GRADE: A-
Don’t know if you’ve already read it, but Jim Harrison’s DALVA is a wonderful book.
I have a copy of DALVA, Deb. Now, I just have to find it. I’ve also read Jim Harrison’s poetry which I like a lot.
This looks terrific. And Jim Harrison is terrific, isn’t he? DALVA is my favorite too. But I also like Farmer and Julip.
Jim Harrison wrote much of his work while he was living in the Upper Peninsula, Patti. So he’s practically your neighbor.
Interesting. Jim Harrison is another of the authors I’ve meant to read for years but every time I get one of his books from the library it seems to get lost in the pile of other books.
RSN
I’ve picked up remaindered Jim Harrison books for years, Jeff. But you’re right: it’s always a matter of finding time to read them.
Like Jeff, I intend to read Jim Harrison but just haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Does THE SUN ALSO RISES receive Mr. Bissell’s approval?
Yes, Bissell has some nice things to say about THE SUN ALSO RISES, Drongo. But I think Hemingway’s best work are his short stories.
In addition to his fiction track down two of Harrison’s non-fiction books. Just Before Dark published by Clark City Press in 1991 collects his essays from Esquire, Sports Illustrated, Playboy, Smart and several other magazines and journals in sections titled Food, Travel and Sport and Literary Matters. Off to the Side is a memoir published in 2002. Both receive permanent space on my crowded bookshelves. I recently purchased Bissell’s collection, but have only read one piece.
Thanks for the recommendations, Kent! I will certainly track down JUST BEFORE DARK and OFF TO THE SIDE.