A Voice from the Attic
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Book Overview
A collection of essays "filled with pleasantly rambling opinions about everything from self-help books to erotica" from the celebrated Canadian author (The Chronicle Journal). An urbane, robust, and wonderfully opinionated voice from Canada, sometimes called "America's attic," speaks here of the delights of reading, and of what mass education has done to readers today, to taste, to books, to culture. With his usual wit and breadth of vision, Robertson Davies ranges through the world of letters--books renowned and obscure, old and recent; English, Irish, Canadian, and American writers both forgotten and fondly remembered. "Sweet reason in the raiment of well-woven prose? Most assuredly. Good humor agraze over broad literary demesnes? No doubt of it. Forgotten popular favorites rescued and rehabilitated? Certainly. A parade of agreeable prejudices? He would not be a true Canadian if he did not have them. Lightheartedness where needed? Yes. Seriousness where it counts? Yes. Wit, satirical touches, firm indignations, sound sense, good taste, judiciousness, cosmopolitan breadth of view, urbanity, sanity, unexpected eccentricities, educated humanism? By all means. It is indeed by all these means and more that this book of essays and observations bestows its multiple benefactions, and anyone picking it up is bound north to pleasure and profit."--The New York Times
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0795352476
ISBN13:9780795352478
Release Date:April 2019
Publisher:RosettaBooks
Length:283 Pages
Weight:1.03 lbs.
Dimensions:1.0" x 5.0" x 8.0"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
A foundation for understanding the evolution of modern literature
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
This book is great. Davies has provided a witty piece of literary criticism that informs the reader about avenues of literary bliss they would likely never have heard of anywhere else. I'm not a Canadian, but I didn't feel he dwelt excessively on topics of specific interest to Canadians. What he did do was point me in the direction of literary genres that are treasure troves of novel reading material, in which one can find the basic storylines and devices that still form the "meat and potatoes" of modern fiction, visible in everything from Tommy Boy to Phillip K. DIck. Personally, the most valuable thing I've taken from "Voice" is an interest in reading plays, and, in particular, pantomimes and drawing room plays. By pointing out that our current culture is ignoring volumes of great literature just because it isn't "current", Davies isn't criticizing todays authors or being stuffy in the least. He's merely pointing the way to an immensely valuable reservoir of work that is ours to appreciate or abandon.
Thoughtful and engaging
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
This book is an extrememly thoughtful commentary on the nature of reading and what it means to be a bibliophile, especially in today's age. It can come across as somewhat stuffy and self-important, but Robertson Davies' thoughts and opinions are varied and resonating enough to overcome that. He doesn't capitulate to the lowest common denominator, or present reading as a pursuit only worthwhile if one reads a predetermined list of "great books". his chapter on humour and comedic writing throughout the ages is priceless. It isn't a book for everyone, but it's a welcome relief from the endless parade of critics who typecast the typical reader as "nobody' if they haven't read a set list of prerequisite books.
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