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On Failure

Or, On the Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer
Series: Field Notes
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( 581 ratings, 119 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
On Failure by Stephen Marche explores the inherent setbacks faced by writers, framing failure not just as common but essential to the creative process. Through personal experience and historical examplesβ€”such as Ovid's exile, Dostoevsky's mock execution, and James Baldwin's resilienceβ€”it reveals how rejection shapes literary life and persistence is the key to survival.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for aspiring and established writers seeking honest insight into the perseverance required by a literary career, as well as readers interested in the creative process and artist resilience.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Writing is, and always will be, an act defined by failure. The best plan is to just get used to it.

Failure is a topic discussed in every creative writing department in the world, but this is the book every beginning writer should have on their shelf to prepare them. Less a guide to writing and more a guide to what you need to continue existing as a writer, On Writing and Failure: Or, On the Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer describes the defining role played by rejection in literary endeavours and contemplates failure as the essence of the writer's life.

Along with his own history of rejection, Marche offers stories from the history of writerly failure, from Ovid's exile and Dostoevsky's mock execution to James Baldwin's advice just to endure, where living with the struggle and the pointlessness of writing is the point.

Series: Field Notes

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  • On Failure
    Writing is, and always will be, an act defined by failure. The best plan is to just get used to it. Failure is a topic discussed in every creative writing department in the world, but this is the book every beginning writer should have on their shelf to prepare them. Less a guide to writing and more a guide to...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praise for On Failure

"The Canadian novelist and essayist describes the defining role rejection has played in his career and reflects on its importance in the lives of notable writers, from Ovid to Dostoyevsky and Baldwin."
β€”New York Times

"I want to buy up a big lot of Marche’s contribution and hand them out to anyone struggling to write."
β€”Vanity Fair

"[Marche's] writing style is buoyant and funny. [...] When the stars are aligned, someone writes a work as provocative, informed and droll as On Writing and Failure."
β€”Maureen Corrigan, NPR

"In On Writing and Failure, Marche attempts to reset the way we talk about such struggles [...] His sole prescription is stubbornness. 'You have to write.'"
β€”Washington Post

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781771965163

Publisher: Biblioasis

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 30 March 2023

Country: Canada

Imprint: Biblioasis

Illustration: Illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 7.0mm

Width: 107.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 128

About the Author

Stephen Marche is a novelist, essayist and cultural commentator. He is the author of half a dozen books, and has written opinion pieces and essays for the New Yorker, the New York Times, The Atlantic, Esquire, The Walrus,and many others. He lives in Toronto with his wife and children.

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