Description

Book Synopsis

When the great Russian writer Tolstoy was first offered the use of a brand new invention called the Dictaphone, he refused it, saying that it was sure to be "too dreadfully exciting" and would distract him from his literary endeavors.

For this provocative launch of the Graywolf Forum series, Sven Birkerts invited a number of literary writers to tell him how they were reacting to the technological innovatios of our day. Do the "dreadful excitements" promised by a digital future cause us to forfeit our time-honored cultural traditions for dubious gain? Or will the electronic millennium usher in an unprecedented age of interconnectedness and opportunities for wider communication?

In the tradition of the Graywolf Annuals, this first Graywolf Forum presents a wide range of responses from contemporary creative writers.

Contributors:

Sven Birkerts
Harvey Blume
Daniel Mark Epstein
Jonathan Franzen
Thomas Frick
Alice Fulton
Albert Goldbarth
Carolyn Guyer
Gerald Howard
Wendy Lesser
Ralph Lombreglia
Carole Maso
Askold Melnyczuk
Robert Pinsky
Wulf Rehder
Lynne Sharon Schwartz
Tom Sleigh
Mark Slouka
Paul West

Tolstoy's Dictaphone: Technology and the Muse

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A Paperback / softback by Sven Birkerts

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    View other formats and editions of Tolstoy's Dictaphone: Technology and the Muse by Sven Birkerts

    Publisher: Graywolf Press,U.S.
    Publication Date: 01/08/1996
    ISBN13: 9781555972486, 978-1555972486
    ISBN10: 1555972489
    Also in:
    Essays

    Description

    Book Synopsis

    When the great Russian writer Tolstoy was first offered the use of a brand new invention called the Dictaphone, he refused it, saying that it was sure to be "too dreadfully exciting" and would distract him from his literary endeavors.

    For this provocative launch of the Graywolf Forum series, Sven Birkerts invited a number of literary writers to tell him how they were reacting to the technological innovatios of our day. Do the "dreadful excitements" promised by a digital future cause us to forfeit our time-honored cultural traditions for dubious gain? Or will the electronic millennium usher in an unprecedented age of interconnectedness and opportunities for wider communication?

    In the tradition of the Graywolf Annuals, this first Graywolf Forum presents a wide range of responses from contemporary creative writers.

    Contributors:

    Sven Birkerts
    Harvey Blume
    Daniel Mark Epstein
    Jonathan Franzen
    Thomas Frick
    Alice Fulton
    Albert Goldbarth
    Carolyn Guyer
    Gerald Howard
    Wendy Lesser
    Ralph Lombreglia
    Carole Maso
    Askold Melnyczuk
    Robert Pinsky
    Wulf Rehder
    Lynne Sharon Schwartz
    Tom Sleigh
    Mark Slouka
    Paul West

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