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110th out of 212 books
—
47 voters
Magic Hours: Essays on Creators and Creation
by
Tom Bissell
In Magic Hours, award-winning essayist Tom Bissell explores the highs and lows of the creative process. He takes us from the set of The Big Bang Theory to the first novel of Ernest Hemingway to the final work of David Foster Wallace; from the films of Werner Herzog to the film of Tommy Wiseau to the editorial meeting in which Paula Fox's work was relaunched into the world....more
Paperback, 301 pages
Published
April 3rd 2012
by McSweeney's, Believer Books
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Bissell has that sophisticated but not too academic style that seems to epitomise Harper's which is where half of these first appeared. Though subtitled "Essays on Creators and Creation", film and TV creators get the most attention and the logistics of their work get more than the ineffable creative aspect. However, the very genre-specific essay on the workings of the sitcom world is one of the most entertaining; by contrast, the longest and ostensibly most scholarly piece, on Werner Herzog, see...more
Really solid collection of profiles and criticism with the through-line of being about "Creators and Creation." There's a great mix of popcult figures; Werner Herzog, Tommy Wiseau ('The Room'), the creator of shitty, but hugely successful sitcoms, and Jennifer Hale, "the Queen of Video Game voice-over. Each profile adds depth to the person and their chosen medium. Even the subjects I didn't care about -- or knew nothing about -- the framing and context were set up so well, that it was still a go...more
An interesting collection of essays, profiles, and reviews about various creative figures in popular culture. Bissell turns his focus on those who make films, documentaries, video games, and especially literature. The subjects might be quite famous (David Foster Wallace and his commencement speech, Jim Harrison about the writing life in Montana, Chuck Lorre on the set of his various wildly successful sitcoms-before the implosion of Two-and-a-Half Men star Charlie Sheen). Or they may be famous on...more
Boy, do I love Tom Bissell's writing. There is just no other way to say it. And I'm a sucker for his subject: artistic process and artistic reputation. The opening essay, "Unflowered Aloes," is a sobering account of just how easily the work of Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Herman Melville might have failed to come down to us today (in each case there were quite lucky circumstances). There's an amusing and insightful piece on how-to-write guides, and a remarkable article about a remarkable g...more
A bit of an inconsistent collection, if only because all the pieces were written over 12 years for different magazines and different audiences. The piece about Jeff Daniels's opus "Escanaba in da Moonlight" has a predictable "kick your hometown in the nuts" sort of feel but Bissell can turn a phrase masterfully and keeps it interesting. My favorite chapter is the one called "Writing About Writing About Writing" where he takes various self-help authors to the woodshed in a masterfully bitchy way....more
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Wins, made of wins. The essay appreciating Werner Herzog left me colder than cold, but every other one was a winner. His writing style is beautiful and his sense of humour sharp.
Standouts: Unflowered Aloes (about the contingency of literary success); "Grief and the Outsider" (deconstructing a poser literary collective's "manifesto"); "Euphorias of Perrier" (slashing the lazy travel writing of Robert D. Kaplan); and "Great and Terrible Truths" (about David Foster Wallace and suicide).
Interestingl...more
Standouts: Unflowered Aloes (about the contingency of literary success); "Grief and the Outsider" (deconstructing a poser literary collective's "manifesto"); "Euphorias of Perrier" (slashing the lazy travel writing of Robert D. Kaplan); and "Great and Terrible Truths" (about David Foster Wallace and suicide).
Interestingl...more
Bissell's collection of reviews and profiles expose us to a wide variety of pop-culture art, from video store geekery and the self-help aisle to network sitcoms and video game voice-over. While his writing is solid, his voice is not terribly likable. He is best when defending great writers and the art of writing. His respect for writing is so thorough that one of his longer pieces is an elaborate analysis of the Underground Literary Alliance, a (by definition) marginalized group of unsuccessful...more
This is upsetting: I wrote a review here, about an hour ago. It's gone. I wrote the whole thing, clicked save down there at the bottom and ...
What have I learned from this? In future I will write reviews in a word processor or text editor and save them; then, I will cut and paste them here. This is a very frustrating experience: first, because I don't like writing reviews about collections--whether of essays or short stories or poems. My mind tries to go too many ways, even when, as in this coll...more
What have I learned from this? In future I will write reviews in a word processor or text editor and save them; then, I will cut and paste them here. This is a very frustrating experience: first, because I don't like writing reviews about collections--whether of essays or short stories or poems. My mind tries to go too many ways, even when, as in this coll...more
I read only two of the essays: A Simple Medium, about Chuck Lorre, the guy who created Dharma & Greg (love that show!), and Invisible Girl, about a voice actress for video games. I've always wondered about Chuck Lorre because of those vanity cards that he writes that show up for a second at the end of each show -- I'm curious about his creativity, so it's great to read this essay on his process. Plus, I like The Big Bang Theory, which he also creates, and it's fun to read about the filming o...more
Interesting idea for a book, but the author kind of lost me when I got to the passage where trees "perimetered" a field. Can't they just "line the perimeter"? I am not a fan of noun/verbs. I know English is a constantly evolving language, but that's a trend I just don't care for. It just strikes me as being sort of twee somehow, with an air of "Look, Ma, I'm making up words and being creative!" Also, there was a section of the book in which the author is talking about the ineptitude of a filmmak...more
One of my favorite books of 2012. Bissell is a brilliant essayist: incisive and insightful. When he loves one of the creators in this book, like Jim Harrison, his prose makes you want to immediately read or re-read everything by that person so you can develop a deeper appreciation for his works. When Bissell dislikes a writer... it's tempting to feel sorry for that person but Bissell's criticism is so well stated and supported you can't help but understand.
I loved Bisell's use of language in th...more
I loved Bisell's use of language in th...more
a new imprint of mcsweeney's, believer books (2 gripes, the font is terrible, and there is no index, come on, we need an index mcsweeneys), has this collection from bissell, collecting about 12 years of essays taken mostly from mainstream mags (harpers, new yorker, new york times book review, believer, outside etc) and many of these are about tv shows and movies, which i skipped for the most part, though the overview of herzog is pretty fantastic. and the thoughts about david foster wallace and...more
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I forget what led me to this book, but I borrowed it via inter-library loan. I had actually cancelled the loan because it was taking so damn long to happen, but right when I cancelled the patron at the other library returned the book and they sent it over anyway. I figured if they went through the trouble to send it over, I might as well give it a once-over. I ended up being drawn into it enough to read through it all.
Some good stuff here. Some weak stuff here. I particularly liked the essay abo...more
Some good stuff here. Some weak stuff here. I particularly liked the essay abo...more
I enjoy Tom Bissell's writing. I think this has very little to do with his technical proficiency or beauty of prose and very much to do with the sympatico-ness of our world perspective. The essays in this collection that rang out most to me were those that I could empathize most with: Grief and the Outsider, Writing about Writing about Writing, Euphorias of Perrier, A Simple Medium. All have some spirit of "metacriticism", or making statements about making statements. This has been a hot topic f...more
Bissell and his pleasingly argumentative style explore the privileges and pratfalls of creativity in this loose, erudite essay collection. “Escanaba’s Magic Hour” takes a look at the makings of a film in Bissell’s hometown of Escanaba, Michigan, and forces Bissell to come to terms with his dislike of his fellow Escanabans. Another standout is “Grief and the Outsider”, which gives a tour of the workings of the Underground Literary Alliance, a group of frustrated aspiring novelists who take on the...more
Jul 23, 2012
Kristin
added it
verdict? not too bad.
as is always the case with a collection of essays, half of whether i will enjoy the book entirely is whether i enjoy the subject matter at hand; this collection was no different. as this particular collection goes in chronological order of publication, i found i liked more of the essays towards the end, when both the insight and writing had improved. (not that tom bissell wasn't always a good writer, mind you. his writing has always been strong, but with age comes maturity...more
as is always the case with a collection of essays, half of whether i will enjoy the book entirely is whether i enjoy the subject matter at hand; this collection was no different. as this particular collection goes in chronological order of publication, i found i liked more of the essays towards the end, when both the insight and writing had improved. (not that tom bissell wasn't always a good writer, mind you. his writing has always been strong, but with age comes maturity...more
Tom Bissell can write. His ability to pull you in with essays about film, literature, and sitcoms, is surprising. His approach toward subjects that often come across as elitist and dry are done in a humorous, yet thought-provoking way. The Werner Herzog essay is increcible, and left me with a long list of flims to add to the Netflix que. The story about Jeff Daniels filming a movie in the BFE town in which Bissell grew up, reminds us all with small-town roots of the unique personalities and cult...more
This is a collection of essays about artists and the creative process...
Most of them were previously published in magazines, and in the end I wound up treating this book like a magazine -- reading the stories that appealed to me and skipping over the rest. The essay on Werner Herzog was amazing, and so was the one where the author does an overview of the many books written about writing. I was most excited to read the opening essay about Melville, Dickinson, and Whitman, and how literary fame o...more
Most of them were previously published in magazines, and in the end I wound up treating this book like a magazine -- reading the stories that appealed to me and skipping over the rest. The essay on Werner Herzog was amazing, and so was the one where the author does an overview of the many books written about writing. I was most excited to read the opening essay about Melville, Dickinson, and Whitman, and how literary fame o...more
This book is a collection of a dozen-plus essays by Tom Bissell that were previously published in various magazines. All of them are about "people engaged in some aspect of creation." Several are about writers, several are on filmmakers, one focuses on video game voice actor Jennifer Hale, and one covers the career of sitcom creator Chuck Lorre. (These last two mentioned were among my favorites.)
Bissell is a good writer, and I enjoyed the sarcastic sense of humor that he inserts into most of the...more
Bissell is a good writer, and I enjoyed the sarcastic sense of humor that he inserts into most of the...more
Anyone who knows me for more than five years, whether online or off, can tell you that I used to be absolutely obsessed with becoming a professional writer. I even had some modest success; nine of my short stories were published and I spent four years as a copywriter for Rabbi Wein’s Destiny Foundation.
About two years ago, all that changed. I began working full-time at a law office in Manhattan, and though I suppose my commute time could have become writing time, I used it for reading instead....more
About two years ago, all that changed. I began working full-time at a law office in Manhattan, and though I suppose my commute time could have become writing time, I used it for reading instead....more
This was recommended to me (by a real live person) based on my interest in Pulphead, and that turned out to be a pretty good call, because even if this doesn't have the instant-classic quality of John Jeremiah Sullivan at his best, Bissell's style is very similar, and his criticism and profiles of writers, filmmakers, video-game voice actors, sitcom creators, and other such types are really quite a joy. He's good at this stuff, and I'd definitely read more of his work in the future.
I enjoyed most of the essays I read (I skipped a couple that seemed to require specific knowledge ahead of time to appreciate.) The writer has a biting sense of humor, and isn't afraid to use it against those who frustrate him. I think my favorite was Escanaba's Magic Hour. He has some really great lines throughout the collection. Both thought-provoking and really funny.
I picked this book up at the library because I wanted to read some essays and this looked interesting. Man am I glad I did. This is a collection of essays by Tom Bissell about creation. Not creation as in "Behold the scope of creation," but creation as in artistic types in today's society and how they create. Be they novelists, filmmakers, or voice over artists for video games, every character met in this collection is involved in the act of creation and they all deal, in one way or another, wit...more
I started reading Tom Bissell by way of his video game reviews (here's a good example) which I found to be thoughtful and incisive and the kind of writing that likes to go beyond the reaches of its stated subject matter - all stuff I like. This collection is cast from that same mold, so if you're into that kind of thing, you could do worse than to pick it up. One weird thing: there seem to be way more typos than usual in this book. Not sure what that's all about, but it kind of got on my nerves....more
Back to the cafe with some hours and some literary essays, I knew Bissell and I were going to have many disagreements from the opening line. Now I read literary essays to entertain thoughts I would not usually entertain, to view things I care about from a different angle, and to muse about subjects with an author. Mostly, this was a set of essays in which I was across the table, interested and often flabbergasted, and making notes to check to make sure I keep my humility pants on. For one of the...more
Grouping essays around the theme of creativity, the making of art by artists provides a wide range for Bissel to get on his high horse and explore. Sequenced by publication date, the writing in the earlier essays clearly show a young writer trying his damnedest to impress, overwhelm with language, and make bold statements. After we take a trip to his home town to hang out on a movie set it feels like we get a more relaxed story-teller.
At any rate, I'm not sure I gained any insight into the "cre...more
At any rate, I'm not sure I gained any insight into the "cre...more
It was just ok. There were two essays I enjoyed the most--on how some things find their way to publication and avoid obscurity over time, and the film director Werner Herzog. In response to his question "How do some books get published?" I wondered the same about this book.
Some really good snippets I'm gonna keep in mind. Enjoyable and quick read, but I still can't really feel a distinctive Bissell-ness about it. If nothing else, the people he writes about and the angles from which he approaches them make the book worth it. Best essays: "Escanaba's Magic Hour," "Grief and the Outsider," "The Secret Mainstream," and "The Theory and Practice of Not Giving a Shit."
Better, in my opinion, than John Jeremiah Sullivan's "Pulphead." In particular, I especially enjoyed his profile of writer Jim Harrison and his essay on Whitman, Dickinson, and Melville. And also his essay on "Escanaba in da Moonlight."
I read this essay collection in 3 nights straight. Hope to read more of Bissell's writing.
I read this essay collection in 3 nights straight. Hope to read more of Bissell's writing.
Some of the best non-fiction writing I've ever come across. At times brutally caustic, but every essay is fair and thoughtful. Some essays are hilarious (his tearing apart of the Underground Literary Alliance's manifesto had me in tears, as did his dissection of The Room) and some are just plain insightful. Chuck Klosterman at his absolute best is something approaching Tom Bissell.
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