Hornby, Nick. The Polysyllabic Spree.Oh, yes, I know that you former readers have extolled the virtues of this little volume and that I'm late to join the throng. It is true, however, that Hornby's (notice that I am now spelling his name correctly) monthly columns in The Believer are marvelously funny and educational.
Here are some of the details from the columns that I particularly enjoyed:
- Hornby takes on "spare" writing. Very funny! Speaking of writer's writers whose writing is spare to the point of the minimum number of words required for a novel, Hornby says if you can reduce it to 70,000 words, why not 2o,ooo, and why stop there? Why write at all, he asks? Then he says that big fat airport books sell! And to quote him: "(And, conversely, the writer's writers, the pruners and the winnowers, tend to have to live off critical approval rather than royalty checks.)" I'm so with him on this!
- 13,000 characters! He then informs us that Dickens created 13,000 characters! My gosh, I don't know a fraction of that many people. Except, perhaps, through literature. How odd to realize I know so many more fictional people than real ones.
- Love his comments about "The Believers" and his having been summoned before a committee of "twelve rather eerie young men and women (six of each, naturally) all dressed in white robes and smiling maniacally" to be scolded for a snarky comment in his column. All tongue-in-cheek, but the references to The Believer staff always made me chuckle.
Nonfiction. Literary Criticism? :) 2004. 140 pages.
This sounds like a delightful book. I'm looking forward to reading it. :-)
ReplyDeleteLF - Hornby isn't a "literary critic" in the normal sense. He is a lover of books who can write about them in a witty way; he writes about the ones he loves and the ones that he doesn't like. Even when I haven't read the book, I agree with what he says in principal because he has the same general philosophy I have.
ReplyDeleteI am really looking forward to getting this book! Should the library call me for the books I have already requested, so I can start requesting more! They are really slow!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did :D Isn't his reading philosophy the best? And lol, I still remember laughing every time he mentioned the Polysyllabic Spree.
ReplyDeleteKailana - I'm waiting on a couple of books that I've requested from my library, too! Hoping to hear something this week.
ReplyDeleteNymeth - It really is one of the most delightful books I've read in a while. I'm so glad your review pushed me into ordering the book!
Hornby is a treasure, Jenclair. I "discovered" him deep in the Sahara Desert in the early nineties when I noticed so many British rig hands were bringing his books into the desert with them. I traded for a couple of his novels and have been hooked ever since.
ReplyDeleteI remember enjoying his take on spare writing too. I can't help but agree with him, not being the hugest fan of "spare" writing. What a fun book it was!
ReplyDeleteSam - I love that rig hands were reading! Must be a British thing. I've got to get some of Hornby's novels, too!
ReplyDeleteDorothy - Wasn't it nice to have a "reader" give his opinion about books? I do enjoy professional literary criticism, but my very favorite is Auden's The Dyer's Hand -- which is just as personal as Hornby's reviews.
That's great about knowing more people in literature than in real life. I'm there with him on that one! :)
ReplyDeleteiliana - Hornby made the remark about Dickens' characters, and I realized that I don't have that many people on my radar covering the whole of my life! Literary characters, though, I probably know that many with a few helpful nudges.
ReplyDeleteI love Nick Hornby and just got my copy of the third collection of his Believer columns Shaespeare Wrote for Money. I can't wait to get started and I hope you continue with the series.
ReplyDeleteRhinoa - Oh, I'm definitely hooked! I have Shakespeare Wrote for Money on my list.
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