I very much enjoy the writing of Gay Talese - he writes nonfiction and often focuses on life in New York City, such as in his books "Fame and Obscurity" (1964), "The Kingdom and the Power" (1969) and "Unto the Sons" (1992). Some have compared Talese to a latter-day Balzac, in that he was an accomplished "social columnist" dating from his days in high school in Ocean City, New Jersey. In the present volume, Talese compiles an olio of stories from his own writing past - such as the first interracial married couple in Alabama (Talese attended the University of Alabama); the life of a solitary address in New York City (206 East 63rd St.) over several generations - centering on the restaurants that opened and closed there over three decades, and the people who started them. He writes affectionately of the iconic Elaine Kaufman and her restaurant "Elaine's" on Manhattan's Upper East Side, which was a beehive of activity bringing together the NY publishing and entertainment worlds during the late 1970s. Talese talks about how he would take a table for dinner, and while eating, make notes about what was being discussed at adjoining tables -- and the reader gets to eavesdrop as well. He knows a number of influential writers and mentions many throughout this book; but these references are not summoned for egotistical ends ... in fact, each of these notable individuals is brought into the story for practical reasons, and Talese handles it all quite deftly. Talese talks about his relationship with his editor and publisher, and his method of acquiring and filing information for future stories/books. It is a stream of consciousness in that it wends its way from one concept to another, with the common thread of a place, person, or idea. As a memoir, it holds considerable interest for me; but it is also a first rate account of the publishing process. He talks lovingly and extensively about his wife Nan, an executive at Doubleday Books, which underscores just how thoroughly the creation of books consumes his personal and professional lives.Talese is a very talented and prolific writer, and this book would be greatly appreciated, I believe, by anyone interested in how a book comes to fruition (definitely NOT a linear process) along with its attendant challenges.
Li e recomendo Vida de escritor, de Gay Talese. É uma combinação de autobiografia com algumas histórias levantadas por ele que terminaram não sendo publicadas. Ou por rejeição do editor, ou porque ele não sabia o caminho a tomar e decidiu abandonar o projeto. Talese tem fascínio por personagens anônimos e pelos que fracassam. Passou meses na China pesquisando sobre uma jogadora de futebol que perdeu um pênalti na final da Copa do Mundo, numa partida que deu o título aos EUA. Durante anos, coletou informações e fez entrevistas sobre um prédio antigo em NY, onde diversos restaurantes bacanas abriram as portas e faliram em poucos meses. Também acompanhou de perto o caso de Lorena Bobbit, a equatoriana que decepou o pênis do marido. O resultado é um painel que revela muito sobre o método de trabalho dele, suas obsessões, bloqueios diante da página em branco e a paixão pela reportagem.Do posfácio de Mario Sergio Conti: "Vida de escritor traz precisamente o que o título enuncia: um relato do calvário. ... O livro não tem nada de condescendente nem conformista. Os seus assuntos são o trabalho e o fracasso. ... Ao mostrar as frustrações do relato de apurar e relatar, Talese desmistifica o jornalismo".Conti conta ainda que Vida de Escritor, de 2006, foi o livro de Talese que teve pior recepção nos Estados Unidos. As restrições foram de duas ordens: ele seria um pot-pourri com restos de livros que goraram; e a sua construção era forçada e frágil. Conti diz que não há o que discutir quanto à primeira ressalva, mas a restrição não se sustenta, pois considera a construção do livro "altamente requintada" - labiríntica, autoquestionadora, fragmentada.
Do You like book A Writer's Life (2006)?
The disjointed feel of Gay Talese's "memoir" provokes accusations of a "notebook dump" (Wall Street Journal), a sentiment all the more galling when considered against his sterling reputation as a founding voice of New Journalism. A few critics did think the Bobbitts' story worth retelling, though most lauded the editor who refused to publish it. Esquire recently named Talese's 1966 piece, "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," the best piece of writing they've ever published, and his previous books (Honor Thy Father, Thy Neighbor's Wife) were all best sellers. Perhaps the memory of past glory causes some critics to cherish this meander through the famed journalist's methods. But most reviewers were hoping for a little more life from this vaunted writer's pen.This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.
—Bookmarks Magazine
Don't pick this up hoping for how-to stuff or writing tips. Instead, what you'll do here is take a bunch of disparate trips with a great storyteller, with subtle tension arising from his effort, and often inability, to produce a book (or in at least one case even a publishable story) out of his exhaustive research and interviews. His transitions from one story to another are so good that you hardly notice you're on a new trip; and he effortlessly ties the end of the book directly back to the beginning. Good stuff.
—Scott
A bit boring, and a little to focused on his love for social clubs, hanging out with celebrities and fancy restaurants. Man, he really loves restaurants. I think his favorite phrase is "we dined..." Had hoped there would be more about his time at the NY Times and the New Yorker. Interesting to hear about his writing habits. Liked the story about how he went after the story about the Chinese soccer player blamed for blowing the women's World Cup final. However, the story kind of ended with a shrug, so I'm not sure why he started and ended the book with it.
—Tristan
