Description
Book SynopsisMr. Kimball, one of the best of our cultural critics, offers a lively and penetrating study of genius—and pseudo-genius—at work, and investigates the use and abuse of intelligence. Drawing on figures as various as Plutarch and Hegel, Kierkegaard and P.G. Wodehouse, Elias Canetti and Anthony Trollope, he provides a sharply observed tour of Western intellectual and artistic aspiration. A master of the genre, as collections of his pieces attest, none more impressively than this set. —Booklist Starred Review
Trade ReviewLives of the Mind is a work of generous humanity. * The Weekly Standard *
Kimball does a very good job of integrating the lives of his subjects with the development of their ideas. * CHOICE *
[Kimball] writes with verve and can unpack complex arguments and make them luminously clear….His work…is criticism at its best. * New York Sun *
We rely on the true critic to cultivate our intelligence, refine our tastes, and show us the way to higher pleasures. Roger Kimball is just such a critic. -- Mark Miller * The Wall Street Journal *
Anyone interested in language, thought, and their sociocultural embeddness will find this a both dynamic and practical book. * Virginia Quarterly *
Kimball’s…essays make for bracing and satisfying reading. -- Virgil Nemoianu * Review of Metaphysics *
Rich and accessible essays.... Kimball writes with verve... * Sewanee Review *
