false <![CDATA[Negotiating with the Dead]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166814051m/17647.jpg 17647 5 After having been through the "wash-and-spin cycle" a few times, Margaret Atwood realized that her "own experience in the suds may be relevant to others." Thus was born <I>Negotiating with the Dead</I>, six essays about what it means to be a writer, particularly a female writer. Each essay explores one aspect of writerly contemplation: art vs. commerce; the ideal reader; the separation between the part of a person that writes and the part that lives; and, as the title suggests, the constant presence of those who came before (both writers and other ancestors). Atwood relates her own experiences as a female poet (to be taken seriously, it would have helped to commit suicide) and as a bestselling novelist (whether your books are good or bad, sell well or don't, people will look down at you for it). These are intriguing meditations, with references to works by Virgil, Isak Dinesen, Robertson Davies, and countless others (Atwood's own dead, no doubt). <I>--Jane Steinberg</I> 2210985 2002 Negotiating with the Dead total:380|5:119|4:143|3:96|2:20|1:2| 380 1497 749 56 5 2 false false Sun Mar 22 10:40:25 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 11:08:42 -0700 2009 If, in my struggles to be a writer, I manage to become even half as talented as Margaret Atwood, that will be enough. That's really all I can think of to say, so I'll just share some of ...more...]]> 5 2 false false Tue May 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 19 01:06:13 -0700 2008 Tue May 20 23:55:21 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Jan 08 12:25:05 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 08 12:29:03 -0800 2008
Atwood's collection of essays are centered around all of the different ways the writer/artist has to negotiate: with themselves, their audience, their practical concerns, and their history/influences. If you consider yourself a poet or write fiction or just...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 19 13:26:14 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 08:40:06 -0800 2009
(p.10) "When I was eight we moved again, to another postwar bungalow, this time nearer the center of Toronto, at that time a stodgy pr...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Apr 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 14 11:50:53 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 05 13:02:21 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Apr 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 10:40:16 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 09:59:34 -0700 2009
Why Write?

To record the world as it is. To set down the past before it is all forgotten. To excavate the past because it has been forgotten. To satisfy my desire for revenge. Because I knew I had to keep writing or else I would die. Bec...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 01:40:23 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 02:04:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Dec 28 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Aug 07 08:42:16 -0700 2008 Sun Dec 28 15:55:19 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Nov 18 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Oct 25 20:08:55 -0700 2009 Wed Nov 18 03:04:32 -0800 2009
I ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Aug 29 12:26:38 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 29 12:48:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Apr 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Feb 24 18:59:32 -0800 2009 Thu Apr 02 19:35:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 08 02:14:39 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 24 07:06:05 -0700 2007 ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jan 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 03 17:30:48 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 03 17:30:48 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jun 06 00:08:51 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 06 00:08:51 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Tue Dec 16 16:49:41 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 16:30:25 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Mon Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Nov 10 15:27:54 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 10 19:19:01 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Feb 24 09:52:50 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 24 09:54:59 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 03:10:07 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 03:10:26 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Mar 25 21:45:42 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 07 13:49:04 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 25 21:45:42 -0700 2009 - and -
"The written word is so much like evidence - like somet...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Feb 09 15:56:34 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 29 15:15:40 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 09 15:56:34 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=17647