From one of America’s great professors, author of Why Teach? and Why Read?--an inspiring exploration of the importance of writing well, for creators, educators, students, and anyone who writes.
Mark Edmundson teaches at the University of Virginia, where he is university professor. A prizewinning scholar, he is also the author of Why Teach?, Why Read?, Teacher, The Death of Sigmund Freud, and The Fine Wisdom and Perfect Teachings of the Kings of Rock and Roll. His writing has appeared in such publications as the New Republic, the New York Times Magazine, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Nation, the American Scholar, Raritan, and Harper's. He lives in Batesville, Virginia.
[An] in-depth analysis of the positivity of literary pursuits . . .
This informative and entertaining read will delight those
interested in the writing process.
*Library Journal*
[WHY WRITE?] is filled with anecdotes about canonical writers,
along with personal stories from the author’s writing and teaching
career. Edmundson is adept at finding quotes and telling tales from
the English romantic poets, Greek philosophers, and American
transcendentalists.
*Publishers Weekly*
[Edmundson’s] especially good on the importance of a writer finding
his/her voice and he offers plenty of encouragement. This book is
very much a pep talk. The author is an optimistic, enthusiastic
cheerleader on the sideline, encouraging us to sit down and
try.
*Kirkus*
Why Write? ponders why so many people try their hand at something
that can be so time consuming and contain so many pitfalls, and
Edmundson offers satisfying answers for readers and writers
alike.
*Shelf Awareness*
The latest in Edmundson’s continuing noble effort to defend
intellectual seriousness against triviality.
*Gerald Graff, author of CLUELESS IN ACADEME*
So much more than a how-to book, Why Write? is Professor
Edmundson’s lifelong meditation on the meaning of writing and
existence.
*David Clemens, Founder and Coordinator, Monterey Peninsula College
Great Books Program*
In the guise of a manual or handbook for writers, Mark Edmundson
has written an impassioned argument for the writing life.
*Morris Dickstein, author of DANCING IN THE DARK*
A high stakes venture, in which getting it right on the page is a
way of bringing yourself back to life.
*Laura Kipnis, author of AGAINST LOVE*
A marvelous handbook on how to write well, with penetrating
commentary on good writers from Plato to John Grisham.
*J. Hillis Miller, author of ON LITERATURE*
Edmundson is a genial and inspiring guide to the mysteries and very
real practicalities of writing. The tone and fluency of this book
are an education.
*Adam Phillips, author of MISSING OUT*
A warm, generous book about how to live--and even, in its wise last
chapters, about how to grow old.
*Michael Gorra, author of PORTRAIT OF A NOVEL*
Full of wit, sage advice, and a well-honed passion for the art of
writing, which in Edmundson’s view looks much like the art of
living well. Just the right companion for readers and writers.
*David Mikics, author of SLOW READING IN A HURRIED AGE*
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