Nicholson Baker’s writer’s blocked poet, Paul Chowder, pontificates on rhyme and famous poets all while he delays, delays, delays writing the Introduction to his poetry anthology. Chowder’s editor is getting frustrated with the delay. Paul Chowder’s girlfriend, Roz, leaves him after tiring of his evasions and excuses why he won’t write. Baker has plenty of fun criticizing poets and critics and the general state of poetry in the world as he tries to get his writing mojo back. As a novel, The Anthologist is a bit of a confection. It rambles along and entertains. If you’re in the mood for something light, frothy, and amusing The Anthologist is just what the doctor ordered. GRADE: B
Off topic, George, and my apologies for that, but this is just to say I’m heading off to Christmas Holiday Land, and will be returning maybe next week, maybe not until January 3rd. No FFB or Sat. Soundtrack the next couple of weeks. I’ll read – and no doubt comment on – the backlog when I return. Until then Happy Holidays!!!!!!! !!!!!!! !!!!!
You blog is a wonderful gift to us all.
Your kind words are a wonderful gift, too, Rick! Enjoy the Holidays! I’ll be here just blogging away…
Drongo also off topic today.
In today’s WSJ there was a review of a new book called THE LOWERING OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN AMERICA. The author is a retired Rutgers sociology professor named Jackson Toby, and he very much believes that a large number of students in college these days are in no way academically qualified to be there, and furthermore, many are lazy partyers with a sense of entitlement who’ll spit profanity at the instructor who doesn’t give them an A grade. Since you’re in the field, I thought this book may or may not be up your alley.
After reading your comments on TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF NUCLEAR FIRE, I was curious about the book that inspired you to become such a devoted reader, and since my local library had a copy, I gave it a try. Although the plotting was a bit repetitive, and Tom Swift Jr. himself was close to insufferable, I got a kick out of the book. The story moves at a brisk clip, there’s loads of color, the science is reasonably interesting, and it has a fair number of nicely-done illustrations. Great cover, too.
A side-note. As I took a break from reading to down a shot of vodka(which I assume young George Kelley didn’t do when he first read the book), I thought to myself, because of the decision your mother–whom I’ve never met and know nothing about–to buy you this novel, here I was over five decades later and thousands of miles away, inspired to read the same book. I bet your mom could never have imagined.
Great comment, Drongo! You outdid yourself this time! I’ll seek out THE LOWERING OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN AMERICA. Your summary accurately captures a lot of what’s wrong with college education today: grade inflation, unprepared students, and a watered-down curriculum. Glad you enjoyed TOM SWIFT AND THE CAVES OF NUCLEAR FIRE. Trust me, it is way more exciting than ADVENTURES WITH DICK AND JANE. Yes, it is amazing that an action my Mom took 50 year ago would influence YOU! Again, the Power of the Internet.
I just got my hands on another Kelley recommendation, WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead, which I hope to read in the next few days, as soon as I finish THE SHADOW OF THE WIND.
Diane is reading WHEN YOU REACH ME right now, Jeff.
Phil just read this. hated it for the first 2/3rds and then declared it the best book he had read in a long time. He’s a very frustrating guy.
Who’s frustrating, Patti? Phil or Nicholson Baker? I’m guessing it’s Nicholson Baker. His writing is too cute by half. But Baker captures the agony of writer’s block perfectly in THE ANTHOLOGIST.