“John D’Agata is an alchemist who changes trash into purest gold.” —Guy Davenport, Harper’s
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reviews
Oct 14, 2007
Betsy
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i loved these essays -- probably my first introduction to the "lyric essay." one in particular i remember liking initially -- and would in the future teach to my writing students -- was the essay on Henry Darger (title slips my mind). brilliant in terms of its attempt to get into the daily life of the artist while conjuring the somewhat disturbing (but also beautiful) space of his paintings.
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Apr 04, 2011
Kathrina
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I've procrastinated in writing this review for almost a week, and I'm still not sure what I'm going to write here. D'Agata is the victim of my latest author stalking, and I want to gush, but I have to hold myself back a bit, as I didn't feel this title backed up his claim to master of the lyrical essay as well as About a Mountain. Of course about 8 years covers the distance between their publications, and I read them backwards, so I think the latest display of style is his best. I guess what it
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Dec 17, 2009
Amy
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oh. em. gee. this book made me want to scream and punch things and then over and over again it made me swoon. big, swooping swoons. sure it's a little pretentious, but it is also ambitious, challenging, and rather wonderful. i loved the essay on martha graham. the essays are annoying because i wish i wrote them first. yup, this book put pure envy through my veins.
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Sep 12, 2010
Kent
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The true masterpiece of this book is the essay on Henry Darger. The nature of the situation, and D'Agata's own approach to recording it seems best suited to a lyric essay. Admittedly, the conventions of this form are still being defined. But I take issue with the exigency of the book's central essay. It doesn't really seem to exhibit much consequence. As I mention in my review of D'Agata's second book, I'm interested in his mind, and the ideas he chooses to pursuit. I'm just not sure that the wr
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Oct 17, 2010
Cole
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I read these essays out of order for a class on experimental writing styles. I alternate back and forth between finding D'Agata one of the most unbearably pretentious writers ever ("Notes Toward the Making of a Whole Human Being") and one of the most beautifully observant ("Round Trip").
The Joan Didion influence here is obvious in every line, and the artistry is evident. I would have an easier time loving D'Agata if he wasn't so clearly in love with himself.
The Joan Didion influence here is obvious in every line, and the artistry is evident. I would have an easier time loving D'Agata if he wasn't so clearly in love with himself.
Nov 20, 2009
Rachel
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Began with a bang and kind of dropped me off along the way - D'Agata's tendency to list and cite and reference made me feel like I was reading a sourcebook rather than a book at time, especially in the title piece and "Flat Earth Map." Granted, this is probably the most openly experimental book I've ever read for fun, but the final piece, save for the page-long lists of quotations of "light" and "dark," was wonderful. When he decides to stick to it, D'Agata's prose
Dec 07, 2009
Rachel
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I had a lot of fun reading this and definitely understand how important D'Agata is to the essay today, even to my own work without my having known it until now. My favorite is the one about Martha Graham. I do get a little bogged down with the footnotes in the one about the Flat Earth guy, and in general the consciousness of form can get a little claustrophobic, but hey, if I write essays as good as these, I'll consider myself a success.
Jun 14, 2010
Jill
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The worst thing about this book is that there is not enough of it. MORE, MORE, JOHN D'AGATA. One of the most brilliant, beautiful, and intelligent things I have read in a very long time. All writers should be embarrassed that they are not him. I know I am. Off to the library to read everything this man has ever written...
Nov 25, 2008
robert
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This book, by one of the pioneers of the lyric essay, is commendable for using innovative formal techniques in the service of non-fiction, but I found the book lacking in terms of incisiveness or passion.
NB: most of my colleagues really liked this book, so maybe it's just that I have lame tastes.
NB: most of my colleagues really liked this book, so maybe it's just that I have lame tastes.
Nov 01, 2010
Charles Dee
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If the "lyric essay" is a new or newish form, I guess it is all right that at times D'Agata.s pieces seem determined to look as unlike an essay as possible, or to be essays only because he has naming rights to his own work.
Occasionally tedious, but overall enjoyable whether they are in his more traditional mode or dissected into fragmentary statements, lists, or presented as an instructional manual.
(I think I am going to take back that part about the lists. The More...
Occasionally tedious, but overall enjoyable whether they are in his more traditional mode or dissected into fragmentary statements, lists, or presented as an instructional manual.
(I think I am going to take back that part about the lists. The More...
Feb 10, 2008
Tarynroch
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I was intrigued by the review I read of this book. The author, D'Agata, has MFAs in poetry and nonfiction writing (interesting combination) and combines these skills in Halls of Fame. The book is divided into chapters that tackle different subject matter inspired by the different Halls of Fames that D'Agata visited. Parts are great: beautiful, provocative. Other parts, not so much. The book comes off being confused. Worth looking into though if you are looking for something different.
Aug 02, 2011
Michael
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from "Collage History of Art, by Henry Darger" (Halls of Fame) by John D'Agata:
When you're all alone everything belongs to you. All the good and bad. Every yes and no. Whether to kill that little girl, or not. It was sometime in his late twenties, Henry tells us in his journal, when he lost the newspaper clipping of the girl from the Daily News. He prayed to God to return it, but God never did.
When you're all alone everything belongs to you. All the good and bad. Every yes and no. Whether to kill that little girl, or not. It was sometime in his late twenties, Henry tells us in his journal, when he lost the newspaper clipping of the girl from the Daily News. He prayed to God to return it, but God never did.
Apr 21, 2011
flannery
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New to the lyric essay, still biased to the "regular-ass" essay, but totally smitten by John D'Agata's writing, his attention to detail, the ease with which he finds meaning and metaphor in his subjects. As in "About a Mountain" I feel like his treatment of regular folk is sometimes smug so I deducted a star. That will teach him. I made the mistake of trying to read this on the elliptical machine.
Aug 07, 2007
Steel
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So, Kim Johnson recommended this book to me. I think it was by a buddy of hers from the Iowa Writer's Program. It's a killer bit of collage/creative nonfiction/poetry that I think D'Agata calls the lyric essay. He's editing a lit mag called the Seneca Review that publishes a lot of them, apparently. In any case, there were parts of this book that I thought were tremendous.
Sep 17, 2010
Matt
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Creative non-fiction that sometimes veers too far into the intellectually insular world of poetry for my liking, but the formalist ambition throughout makes most of what I consider flaws, excusable. When someone is clearly this excited about writing, it's infectious even when it's not always great.
Dec 17, 2009
Rebecca
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Really enjoyable. Beautiful essays. Loved the essay about Deep Springs - back when I was a soon to be high school graduate I remember being fiercely agitated that they wouldn't accept women. When will Mr. D'Agata write something else?
Sep 20, 2008
C.S.
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Thanks heavens for John D'Agata and his work. He's rescued the essay from ickiness. His essays are so beautiful words and lyricism. The sequence of essays entitled "Halls of Fame" kill. And the essay on Henry Darger kills.
Aug 21, 2008
Araminta
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I suppose it helps that John was my favoritest professor of all time. His writing is refreshing, constantly evolving into new takes on old images. This book truly has something for each of us.
Oct 03, 2007
Melissa
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Not because this book is perfect, but because every section brought delight. Hooray for poem-essays!
Mar 14, 2009
Kathy
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Favorite essays: "Flat-Earth Map" & "And There Was Evening and There Was Morning."
Mar 12, 2008
Idahobuzzy
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When my MFA class told me, "you can't do that!"--I showed them John D'Agata.
Feb 20, 2012
