Loading...
82nd out of 138 books
—
41 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Beg, Borrow, Steal: A Writer's Life
In Beg, Borrow, Steal Michael Greenberg regales us with his wry and vivid take on the life of a writer of little means trying to practice his craft or simply stay alive. He finds himself doctoring doomed movie scripts; selling cosmetics from an ironing board in front of a women's department store; writing about golf, a game he has never played; and botching his debut as a ...more
Hardcover, 232 pages
Published
September 8th 2009
by Other Press
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
304)
I heard the author of this book on a radio interview while reading The Well-Fed Writer, which sort of reads like a get-rich-quick book for writers. Then along comes this guy who says that if you want to be a writer, you're not going to be "well-fed," so be prepared to beg, borrow and steal. I appreciated his gritty honesty, so I ordered the book from my library.
Well, I have no doubt that the author depicted the writing life as it is, but the book was just a bit too gritty f...more
Well, I have no doubt that the author depicted the writing life as it is, but the book was just a bit too gritty f...more
Although highly entertaining, Beg, Borrow, Steal is not a humor book by any means. I was impressed by Michael Greenberg's economy of words - each small story carried the punch of a well developed theme within a few short pages.
As evident in his stories, Michael Greenberg has seen many places and known a lot of people. Spurred on by his desire to observe humanity, he worked jobs that most of us would rather avoid (a waiter, street vendor and court translator among others). Some of the h...more
As evident in his stories, Michael Greenberg has seen many places and known a lot of people. Spurred on by his desire to observe humanity, he worked jobs that most of us would rather avoid (a waiter, street vendor and court translator among others). Some of the h...more
Greenberg's book has some terrific moments and they're not the moments I expected remember, the sordid times he reflected on as a struggling writer moving black market cosmetics under a bridge-which were really great. The scenes that left a mark were more complex: the emotional imprint his father left described as "accumulated rancor" because his father believed Greenberg's writerly pursuits were self-destructive and pretenious. Also moving were the moments Greenberg made difficult, i...more
I read a proof I picked up at a book show, so I can't say for sure if it's identical to the finished product. Other Press' booth was right next to my (now former) employer's, and I saw the author there, looking rather dour as he did a signing. Of course, it IS the Javits Center. I was probably looking pretty dour myself.
At any rate, I wobble between 2 and 3 stars, and have settled on 3 because come on, free book, and also because two stars I think implies a more committed dislike tha...more
At any rate, I wobble between 2 and 3 stars, and have settled on 3 because come on, free book, and also because two stars I think implies a more committed dislike tha...more
With so many various memoirs currently in the book market, it can be hard to choice which ones to read. Admit it, unless the book focuses on someone you are familiar with or are a fan of memoirs than you could care less about a person’s life story. I am in the latter. As a book reviewer, I have had the pleasure of being exposed to several memoirs. The latest is Beg, Borrow, Steal: A Writer's Life by Michael Greenberg. Mr. Greenberg is the author of the previous novel Hurry Down Sunshine as well ...more
view 1 comment
Helen Gallagher
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
writers and those interested in memoir technique.
Shelves:
writing-about-writing
A writer’s life is never as easy as it looks on a dust jacket – no 20 world blurb of polished prose to suggest the effortless flow of words as they land on the page.
The truth is conveyed in the hard-earned prose of Michael Greenberg, a writer of little means, who took on whatever jobs needed to keep writing. And that’s the secret here: not just telling stories, but living through them, even if it means inquiring into the life of a transgender dinner guest, with notepad in hand. He do...more
The truth is conveyed in the hard-earned prose of Michael Greenberg, a writer of little means, who took on whatever jobs needed to keep writing. And that’s the secret here: not just telling stories, but living through them, even if it means inquiring into the life of a transgender dinner guest, with notepad in hand. He do...more
Maybe it's the way I read, but it seems when I read books faster they're more interesting.
Funny thing is this is another book by another Jewish Dad, so there are curious parallels with Lessons for Dylan - in particular the lobster shift.
One of the chapters on New York rats was fascinating -- early in the book, but the good stuff is reserved for the end. Not that I remember it that well, I'm tired enough I can't remember much other than I liked it a lot. The chapters are all p...more
Funny thing is this is another book by another Jewish Dad, so there are curious parallels with Lessons for Dylan - in particular the lobster shift.
One of the chapters on New York rats was fascinating -- early in the book, but the good stuff is reserved for the end. Not that I remember it that well, I'm tired enough I can't remember much other than I liked it a lot. The chapters are all p...more
What I thought I purchased was a book about a writer's life struggling to make a living, and struggling to make it in the business. What I read, to my pleasant surprise, was a book comprised of forty-four short stories about the writer's life, the different people he has come across in his life, the different jobs he has had, the different places he has lived. Although not every story had me at the edge of my seat, Greenberg's writing had me turning pages at a quick pace anyway. I am usually dis...more
I was torn about the rating on this one--I wanted to give it 2.5 stars. I was interested enough to keep reading it because there were a lot of compelling images of life in New York, in particular, but the short essay format and the author's style left me feeling disconnected from him and from the people he wrote about. I felt like I was piecing together bits and pieces to figure out why he sounded emotionally stunted. Maybe I should have read his full-length memoir first?
I wanted to like this book. It was assigned for a writing workshop and the title seemed promising. The title is where the promise ends.
Each chapter was basically a sketch of a time, a place or a person that the author once knew. It felt like there wasn't enough distance between the narrator and the stories so the entire book seems self-aggrandizing. His manner of jumping from subject to subject and place to place keeps you, the reader, from getting to truly know or understand anyth...more
Each chapter was basically a sketch of a time, a place or a person that the author once knew. It felt like there wasn't enough distance between the narrator and the stories so the entire book seems self-aggrandizing. His manner of jumping from subject to subject and place to place keeps you, the reader, from getting to truly know or understand anyth...more
Michael Greenberg never goes far from NYC and that serves the reader well. All the material in these short essays is influenced by living, observing and analyzing both his own family and his present life there.
These highly readable and thoughtful pieces were commissioned by the Times Literary Supplement. There is a lot about becoming a writer and a lot of wisdom. Excellent writing.
These highly readable and thoughtful pieces were commissioned by the Times Literary Supplement. There is a lot about becoming a writer and a lot of wisdom. Excellent writing.
Most books of short stories are a mixed bag. Thisonetakes place in NYC by a Jewish baby boomer. His father wonders if he will ever amount to anything and why doesn't he join the family business. Some days, Michael wonders the very same thing. He marries twice, becomes a father at 21, struggles for recognition, and after being published wonders what number his book is on the Amazon list.
The author is a writer, and these are stories from his life, but not all of them are stories about "the writing life" (as such). Greenberg presents us with a memoir in essay format, which I read as my carry-around book (restaurant lunches, etc.), a few small chapters per day. An impulse loan off the New Books shelf that worked out well.
Some of the essays were excellent. Most were okay. I was not hugely moved by this book but 1) it has an awesome cover and 2) it has an interesting format.
Stand alone essays that are loosely about writing, as they're about the life of the writer, which is always strange and interesting.
Great review by Edmond White in NYT, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/books/...
I enjoyed whipping through these slices of the NYC I used to know - and his immigrant Jewish lower-east-side family mini-histories. There are some repeats from his memoir and at times I even feel uncomforable with the details of his assesment of his immediate famiy (daughter, wife, ex-wife) - perhaps too much information. I agree w/ another reviewer her on his economy of words - good clean prose that packs some punches (love the one on the rejection by one of his esteemed editor/writers).
...more
...more
I love memoirs in essays, and this one was darkly funny, thought-provoking and touching.
Soooo goood!
As much as I appreciated his previous memoir, I had high hopes for this one. There was only one chapter that touched upon the ethical issues of writing memoir. For more:
http://satia.blogspot.com/2009/11/beg-bo...
http://satia.blogspot.com/2009/11/beg-bo...
Some interesting tidbits and a great narrative voice. But, tidbits is the key word because these are just snippets from the author's life, not fleshed out or even fully figured out memories. Some really shine, but most are underwhelming.
Great collection of short, zingy personal essays originally written by Greenberg for the Times Literary Supplement.
I read this memoir on the strength of NY Times Book Review, and had high hopes. It was hard to keep rooting for this author, who didn't learn from past experience, and only seemed to run in place.
Very short, pithy essays, almost anecdotes, on writing and writers. Loved it.
Desi
marked it as to-read
Richard Retyi
marked it as to-read
Rene Singley
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
A native New Yorker, Michael Greenberg is a columnist for the Times Literary Supplement (London), where his wide-ranging essays have been appearing since 2003. His fiction, criticism and travel pieces have been published in such disparate places as O Magazine, Bomb, The Village Voice, and the Boston Review.
His book Beg, Borrow, Steal: A Writer’s Life was published by Other Press in Se...more
More about Michael Greenberg...
His book Beg, Borrow, Steal: A Writer’s Life was published by Other Press in Se...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
