Genius: A Mosaic of One Hundred Exemplary Creative Minds

From the Bible to Ralph Ellison, America's most prominent and bestselling literary critic takes an enlightening look at the concept of genius through the ages in a celebration of the greatest creative writers of all time.

User reviews

LibraryThing member asallan

A wonderful resource for browsing authors. While Bloom does not go into any great depth, it is interesting to see what he picks as each author's hallmark piece, collecting snippets of analysis into an interesting examination of genius. A majority of Bloom's picks are safely within all general

"canons," but he does offer some insights as to why one should read these authors. The book is fascinatingly organized, and serves well as a survey of great authors and works.

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LibraryThing member NativeRoses

While i may not agree with Harold Bloom's politics, i greatly enjoy reading about his appreciation for classic authors. He has helped me enjoy some works more deeply.

This is a fun book to browse through now and then.

LibraryThing member SaraPrindiville

I only got up to the 50th author. I will finish it later (so I say). Wonderful. Lots of info about authors I didn't know about. Most of those discussed I have at least heard of, but in the discussion of them, others are brought up which I haven't. Most useful.

LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind

Impressive encyclopedia survey of some 100 writers Bloom considers to have some aspect of genius. Organization is haphazard and arbitrary, but Bloom admits as much, listing them in an unusual Gnostic way.

Alternately witty and pompous in equal measure, but no doubt extremely informative.

Of

particular note is that this is the last book in my 2011 reading challenge. Fitting.

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