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The Ghosts of Birds
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Format: Paperback / softback
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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?
Ideal for readers interested in arts and culture, literary criticism, and thoughtful, unconventional essays. Those who appreciate erudite, richly detailed writing that crosses disciplines and explores global cultures will find this collection rewarding.
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See moreA new collection from "one of the world's great essayists" (The New York Times)
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Description
The Ghosts of Birds offers thirty-five essays by Eliot Weinberger: the first section of the book continues his linked serial-essay, An Elemental Thing, which pulls the reader into "a vortex for the entire universe" (Boston Review). Here, Weinberger chronicles a nineteenth-century journey down the Colorado River, records the dreams of people named Chang, and shares other factually verifiable discoveries that seem too fabulous to possibly be true.
The second section collects Weinberger's essays on a wide range of subjects—some of which have been published in Harper's, New York Review of Books, and London Review of Books—including his notorious review of George W. Bush's memoir Decision Points and writings about Mongolian art and poetry, different versions of the Buddha, American Indophilia ("There is a line, however jagged, from pseudo-Hinduism to Malcolm X"), Béla Balázs, Herbert Read, and Charles Reznikoff.
This collection proves once again that Weinberger is "one of the bravest and sharpest minds in the United States" (Javier Marías).
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?
Praised as "masterful" and "erudite," Weinberger's essays captivate with their rich detail and originality. Critics highlight the book as a "repository of knowledge and interpretation" and commend the author's distinctive, unclassifiable prose style that blends poetry, philology, and criticism. Reviewers describe the collection as compelling, delightfully strange, and demonstrating Weinberger's status as a singular essayist.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780811226189
Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 11 October 2016
Country: United States
Imprint: New Directions Publishing Corporation
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 18.0mm
Width: 132.0mm
Height: 206.0mm
Weight: 195g
Pages: 240
Collections
About the Author
Eliot Weinberger is an essayist and translator, the editor of The New Directions Anthology of Classical Chinese Poetry, and the series editor of Calligrams: Writings from and on China (New York Review Books and Chinese University of Hong Kong Press). He lives in New York City.
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