Fare Forward
Letters from David Markson
David Markson ; Ann Beattie
- In
- this
- first-ever
- book
- of
- letters
- by
- novelist
- David
- Markson-a
- quintessential
- "writer's
- writer"
- whose
- work
- David
- Foster
- Wallace
- once
- lauded
- as
- "pretty
- much
- the
- high
- point
- of
- experimental
- fiction
- in
- this
- country"-readers
- will
- experience
- Markson
- at
- his
- wittiest
- and
- warmest.
- Poet
- Laura
- Sims
- shares
- her
- correspondence
- with
- him,
- which
- began
- with
- an
- impassioned
- fan
- letter
- in
- 2003
- and
- ended
- with
- his
- death
- in
- 2010,
- finally
- allowing
- a
- glimpse
- into
- the
- personal
- world
- of
- this
- solitary
- man
- who
- found
- his
- life's
- solace
- in
- literature.The
- letters
- trace
- the
- growth
- of
- a
- genuine
- and
- moving
- friendship
- between
- two
- writers
- at
- very
- different
- stages;
- in
- them
- we
- see
- Markson
- grapple,
- humorously,
- with
- the
- indignities
- of
- old
- age
- and
- poor
- health,
- and
- reminisce
- about
- his
- early
- days
- as
- a
- key
- literary
- figure
- in
- the
- Greenwich
- Village
- scene
- of
- the
- 1950s
- and
- 60s.
- At
- the
- same
- time,
- he
- sincerely
- celebrates
- Sims's
- marriage
- and
- the
- first
- milestones
- of
- her
- career
- as
- a
- poet.
- The
- book
- is
- full
- of
- engaging
- commentary
- on
- life,
- love,
- and
- the
- writing
- life.Markson
- reveals
- himself
- to
- be
- casually
- erudite,
- caustically
- funny,
- lovably
- cantankerous,
- and
- always
- entertaining.
- This
- volume
- marks
- a
- significant
- contribution
- to
- our
- understanding
- and
- appreciation
- of
- Markson's
- indubitably
- important
- and
- affecting
- body
- of
- work
- and
- will
- be
- a
- delight
- for
- his
- longtime
- fans
- as
- well
- as
- those
- just
- now
- discovering him.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
