The Pebble Chance: Feuilletons and Other Prose
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.13 (756 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1927428777 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 208 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-11-25 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
PRAISE FOR MARIAS KOCIEJOWSKIHere the charm is deep, the splendour unlaboured; the colours of history, reckoned afresh, saturate singular people, in whom passion is lucid againhere is one who collects his extraordinary resources, and strides.”Christopher MiddletonIt is a testament to the power of this superb book that I felt not despondency, but elation."Adam Thorpe, The Times Literary Supplement"Treasures are revealed with a formidable erudition, and at their best they gleam with an enameled splendour."Ken Babstock, The Globe and Mail"Kociejowski writes beautifully unusual, poetic, and thought-provoking."Library Journal
"Kociejowski draws on all the aspects of his life in these engaging, idiosyncratic personal essays that proffer the reader equal measures of autobiography, insight and quirky charm." Michael Dirda, The Washington PostIn the game of bocce, no matter how intensely you study the world's surface, there is always a chance an unseen pebble will knock your ball in an unexpected direction. In these essays, poet, antiquarian bookseller, and celebrated travel writer Marius Kociejowski chronicles serendipitous encounters with authors, manuscripts, and eccentrics, in which the curious workings of fate” and art's unbidden swerve” intervene to shift the course of fortune.Carried by keen wit, aphoristic prose, and a rich sense of characterization, and featuring chance meetings and comic misadventures with such figures as Bruce Chatwin, Zbigniew Herbert, and Javier Marías, The Pebble Chance is a sumptuous offering of belles lettres exploring the incandescent moments when skill and providence collide.
A Brilliant Collection of Feuilletons This collection of "feuilletons" by the Canadian-born British poet, travel writer, and antiquarian bookseller is one of the most original pieces of work I have read in some time. It is erudite, gossipy, and historical. It makes most other books of essays feel commercial, whereas this one is deeply literary and philosophical, drawing out unlikely personal and public events in history to show how they are related. We learn about the eccentricities of antiquarian booksellers, and those of some very talented writers such as Javier Marias and the late Bruce Chatwin. Things play a. Kind of fun, if you are into gossip related discussions re Kind of fun, if you are into gossip related discussions re the poetry world. Then again, that is not quite fair; all the essays are fun, just too much "inside baseball" stuff throughout.