Benjamin Taylor is celebrated for his incisive prose and depth in literary criticism and fiction. His essays and novels explore complex human relationships and the interior lives of characters with keen intelligence. Taylor's writing is both precise and poetic, offering readers an enriching and thought-provoking experience. Through his diverse body of work and his role as an esteemed educator, Taylor contributes to a deeper understanding of literature and the craft of writing.
Focusing on the life and legacy of a renowned 20th-century author, this biography offers a heartfelt look at Willa Cather's journey and artistic resilience. The narrative is enriched by the perspective of a devoted admirer, providing an intimate exploration of Cather's impact on literature and her enduring influence on readers and writers alike.
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This book offers a roadmap to achieving the life you've always desired, focusing on eliminating financial stress. It provides practical strategies and insights to help readers transform their financial situation and attain their dreams. By following its guidance, you can unlock the potential for a more fulfilling and financially secure life.
This beautifully crafted meditation on friendship and loss offers a touching portrait of Philip Roth from his closest friend. The narrative begins with a poignant moment when Roth, after collapsing, announces his retirement from writing with the words, "No more books." This marks the start of Benjamin Taylor's unvarnished portrayal of Roth, one of America's greatest writers. While Roth's literary legacy is secure, Taylor reveals the man behind the works, exploring his joys and sorrows as he ages. The memoir captures the essence of their friendship, highlighting how it enriched their lives in unexpected ways. Taylor, a talented writer in his own right, pays tribute to Roth as he reflects on their shared experiences and the complexities of creativity. Encouraged by Roth to write this memoir, Taylor was instructed to keep it honest and to wait until after Roth's death for publication. The result is an affectionate, unfiltered account that will serve as the definitive portrayal of Philip Roth for years to come. Through this work, Taylor not only honors his friend but also invites readers to appreciate the profound impact of friendship on our lives.
Arranged chronologically, this literary time capsule displays the full extent of Bellow's nonfiction, including criticism, interviews, speeches and other reflections, tracing his career from his initial success as a novelist until the end of his life. Bringing together six classic pieces with an abundance of previously uncollected material, There is Simply Too Much to Think About is a powerful reminder not only of Bellow's genius but also of his enduring place in the western canon. It is sure to be widely reviewed and talked about for years to come.
"Marcel Proust came into his own as a novelist comparatively late in life, yet only Shakespeare, Balzac, Dickens, Tolstoy, and Dostoyevsky were his equals when it came to creating characters as memorably human. As biographer Benjamin Taylor suggests, Proust was a literary lightweight before writing his multivolume masterwork In Search of Lost Time, but following a series of momentous historical and personal events, he became -- against all expectations -- one of the greatest writers of his, and indeed any, era. This insightful, beautifully written biography examines Proust's artistic struggles -- the "search" of the subtitle -- and stunning metamorphosis in the context of his times. Taylor provides an in-depth study of the author's life while exploring how Proust's personal correspondence and published works were greatly informed by his mother's Judaism, his homosexuality, and such dramatic events as the Dreyfus Affair and, above all, World War I. As Taylor writes in his prologue, "Proust's Search is the most encyclopedic of novels, encompassing the essentials of human nature. ... His account, running from the early years of the Third Republic to the aftermath of World War I, becomes the inclusive story of all lives, a colossal mimesis. To read the entire Search is to find oneself transfigured and victorious at journey's end, at home in time and in eternity too.""--Jacket
