There is no repertory of quoted authors or works at the end of this collection of literary essays, and for a good reason: there are hundreds of names in these 216 tight-packed pages.
Dirda , Pulitzer Prize-winning critic of the Washington Post, has the gift of saying a lot with a few well-selected
words. Although a professional of great learning, he comes along in a light-hearted, pleasurable…mehrThere is no repertory of quoted authors or works at the end of this collection of literary essays, and for a good reason: there are hundreds of names in these 216 tight-packed pages.
Dirda , Pulitzer Prize-winning critic of the Washington Post, has the gift of saying a lot with a few well-selected words. Although a professional of great learning, he comes along in a light-hearted, pleasurable manner and with a total lack of pretence, and sheds a light on every author or work he visits.
Some of them you will never have heard of, for this is a book-lover writing for other book-lovers, always on the lookout for hidden or neglected or forgotten treasures.
His style is so charming, witty and playful despite the erudition that I read on even where I was not really concerned by the subject (science fiction, for example). The subtitle "Literary Entertainments" is just right. Read him for pleasure, the information comes along unobtrusively.
My favourite piece is an astonishing, very personal list of the 100 most amusing comic works answering to the question: "But have we had fun?" I am going to (re)read them all, and I am going to read more by Michael Dirda.
