Description
Book Synopsis“Earnest, amusing, and contemplative....though Beattie is known for her fiction, her nonfiction has just as much to offer.”—Publishers Weekly
“Shimmering prose and critical acumen on display in an eclectic collection.”—Kirkus Reviews
As deeply rewarding as her fiction, a selection of Ann Beattie’s essays, chosen and introduced by the author. From appreciations of writers, photographers, and other artists, to notes on the craft of writing itself, this is a wide-ranging, and always penetrating collection of writing never before published in book form.
Ann Beattie, a master storyteller, has been delighting readers since the publication of her short stories in the 1970s and her first novel, Chilly Scenes of Winter. But as her literary acclaim grew and she was hailed “the voice of her generation,” Ms. Beattie was also moonlighting as a nonfiction writer. As she writes in her introduction to this collection, “Nonfiction always gave me a thrill, even if it provided only an illusion of freedom. Freedom and flexibility—for me, those are the conditions under which imagination sparks.”
These penetrating essays are stories unto themselves, closely observed appreciations of life and art. The reader travels with Ms. Beattie to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to learn about the legacy of the painter, Grant Wood, and his iconic painting American Gothic; to the famed University of Virginia campus with her husband, the painter Lincoln Perry; to Key West, Florida for New Years with writer and translator, Harry Mathews; to a roadside near Boston in a broken-down car with the wheelchair-bound writer Andre Dubus.
There are explorations of novels, short stories, paintings, and photographs by artists ranging from Alice Munro to Elmore Leonard, from Sally Mann to John Loengard. Whatever the subject, Ms. Beattie brings penetrating insight into literature and art that’s both familiar and unfamiliar—as she writes, “This, I think, is what artists want to do: find a way to lure the reader or viewer into an alternate realm, to overcome the audience’s resistance to being taken away from their own lives and interests and priorities.”
Ann Beattie’s nonfiction (originally published in Life, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The American Scholar, among others) is a new way to enjoy one of the great writers of her generation. Readers will find much to love in this journey with a curious and fascinating mind.
More to Say is part of Godine’s Nonpareil series: celebrating the joy of discovery with books bound to be classics.
Trade Review“Earnest, amusing, and contemplative, More to Say suggests that though Beattie is known for her fiction, her nonfiction has just as much to offer.”
—Publishers Weekly
“In this entry in the publisher’s Nonpareil series, acclaimed novelist and short story writer Beattie offers a series of essays on literature, art, and photography. The author is an accomplished essayist with an elegant, precise writing style....Shimmering prose and critical acumen on display in an eclectic collection.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A lesson in writing, looking, listening, and thinking from someone prodigiously talented at all of the above.”
—Portland Press Herald
“Readers of Beattie’s fiction will welcome this opportunity to experience her insights on the works of other creative individuals.”
—Library Journal
“I needed this book. It is eye-opening and splendid.”
—Elizabeth Strout, author of Lucy by the Sea
“Beautifully lucid, frank, nuanced, elegant and intimate.”
—Claire Messud, author of The Burning Girl
“Exhilarating and enthralling, one brilliant essay after another.”
—Lily King, author of Euphoria
“These are dazzling essays, acute and subtle and very wise.”
—Phillip Lopate, editor of The Glorious American Essay
“Read these essays to learn how to write—and to see.”
—Patricia Hampl, author of The Art of the Wasted Day
“Beattie’s intellect is formidable but informal—at ease, confident.”
—Bobbie Ann Mason, author of Dear Ann
