Status
Available
Genres
Publication
New York : Free Press, 2013.
Description
A long-awaited new book on personal writing from Phillip Lopate--celebrated essayist, the director of Columbia University's nonfiction program, and editor of The Art of the Personal Essay. Distinguished author Phillip Lopate, editor of the celebrated anthology The Art of the Personal Essay, is universally acclaimed as "one of our best personal essayists" (Dallas Morning News). Here, combining more than forty years of lessons from his storied career as a writer and professor, he brings us this highly anticipated nuts-and-bolts guide to writing literary nonfiction. A phenomenal master class shaped by Lopate's informative, accessible tone and immense gift for storytelling, To Show and To Tell reads like a long walk with a favorite professor--refreshing, insightful, and encouraging in often unexpected ways.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Parthurbook
An attention-grabbing conflation of technical advice and mastercraft acknowledgment. Lapote writes with enthusiasm and appreciation, and inspires me to both read and to write. Most importantly, he brings the non-fiction form - from today or from aeons away - back into clear view. Highly recommended.
LibraryThing member rivkat
Essays on the art of the personal essay. Lopate is a fan of both showing and telling, and defends the essay as a meandering exploration of a person’s thoughts, following them down whatever paths they go.
LibraryThing member RajivC
Overall, this is an excellent book, with some valuable tips. If you are looking for tips on writing, and how to develop your writing style, then it is the wrong book for you.
If you want to get sage guidance on how to go about writing literary non-fiction, then this is a good place to start. Most
I like that he has a separate section that he has devoted to a few men who were, and are, considered masters of their craft. This is useful. You can read many tips, but you should also read essays.
If you want to get sage guidance on how to go about writing literary non-fiction, then this is a good place to start. Most
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authors like to write fiction, yet there is a small market for good, literary non-fiction. It is not easy to author good essays, so this book offers some good advice. I like that he has a separate section that he has devoted to a few men who were, and are, considered masters of their craft. This is useful. You can read many tips, but you should also read essays.
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LibraryThing member scottjpearson
Writing about yourself seems like an incredibly easy task at first. Doing so in a way that captures the attention of an audience, however, is in truth quite difficult. Augustine of Hippo wrote his psychologically probing Confessions at the end of the fourth century CE and opened up the world of
The title of this book is accurate, but some of the promotional hype is not. This is not a “nuts-and-bolts” treatment of writing literary nonfiction. Its form is not like a writing workshop, and those who look for practical, actionable pointers will be let down. Instead, Lopate provides authors’ stories to convey his lessons. This illustrates the art while teasing out its underlying methods. Although a replay of literary history might at first sound boring, this master teacher knows how to keep readers engaged with their hearts and heads while conveying the information.
Lopate shares brief, eloquent biographies of authors like Ralph Waldo Emerson and James Baldwin through their personal writings. Though all centered around individual knowledge, related genres vary from personal essays to memoirs. Interested writers cannot acquire academic credentials every time to write a book, so composing nonfiction requires a broader understanding of how knowledge can be gained and an appreciation of the limits of one’s knowledge. Learning to do this by understanding past masters provides the most effective way of mastering this craft.
This book interests and engages readers first. It’s simply not boring. Again, those looking for an analytical treatment will be let down because this work itself shows how “to show and to tell.” Writers of nonfiction can learn much from this master. Those left wanting to learn more can consult the extensive bibliography at the end of the book for beneficial deep dives. Even when the material became a bit dense, Lopate’s storytelling took over and carried me safe and sound unto the end. I’m glad I read this book.
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conveying a message with one’s life story. Ambitious authors have been doing so ever since, and the rate of personal nonfiction writing is only increasing in recent decades. In these reflections, writing professor Phillip Lopate explores effective ways to do this by looking at how great historical and recent authors did this.The title of this book is accurate, but some of the promotional hype is not. This is not a “nuts-and-bolts” treatment of writing literary nonfiction. Its form is not like a writing workshop, and those who look for practical, actionable pointers will be let down. Instead, Lopate provides authors’ stories to convey his lessons. This illustrates the art while teasing out its underlying methods. Although a replay of literary history might at first sound boring, this master teacher knows how to keep readers engaged with their hearts and heads while conveying the information.
Lopate shares brief, eloquent biographies of authors like Ralph Waldo Emerson and James Baldwin through their personal writings. Though all centered around individual knowledge, related genres vary from personal essays to memoirs. Interested writers cannot acquire academic credentials every time to write a book, so composing nonfiction requires a broader understanding of how knowledge can be gained and an appreciation of the limits of one’s knowledge. Learning to do this by understanding past masters provides the most effective way of mastering this craft.
This book interests and engages readers first. It’s simply not boring. Again, those looking for an analytical treatment will be let down because this work itself shows how “to show and to tell.” Writers of nonfiction can learn much from this master. Those left wanting to learn more can consult the extensive bibliography at the end of the book for beneficial deep dives. Even when the material became a bit dense, Lopate’s storytelling took over and carried me safe and sound unto the end. I’m glad I read this book.
Show Less