The memoir is the most popular and expressive literary form of our time. Writers embrace the memoir and readers devour it, propelling many memoirs by relative unknowns to the top of the best-seller list. Writing programs challenge authors to disclose themselves in personal narrative.
Thomas Larson is a critic, memoirist, essayist, and the author of numerous books, including The Sanctuary of Illness: A Memoir of Heart Disease, The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” and two Swallow Press titles: The Memoir and the Memoirist: Reading and Writing Personal Narrative and Spirituality and the Writer: A Personal Inquiry.
“Larson applies his methods to some of the finest examples of the
form, with exhilarating analyses of works by writers as diverse as
Virginia Woolf, Frank McCourt, Mary Karr, Mark Doty, Dave Eggers,
Andrew Hudgins, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Rick Bragg. The result is
a book that deserves the attention of literary scholars and anyone
attempting to add his or her own contribution to the genre.”
*Ploughshares*
“Indispensable…arguably one of the two or three best references for
those who teach and write nonfiction.”
*Brevity*
“Larson shines as a reader. His always lucid style, wide-ranging
and perceptively analyzed examples, and thorough bibliography of
memoirs make the book a valuable reference source as well as a good
read.”
*Biography*
“I’ve never met Thomas Larson, but from reading The Memoir and the
Memoirist, I’ve concluded that I’d love to talk to him.... He draws
on long experience as a reader, writer, and teacher to describe and
embrace the modern memoir before it becomes fussed over and
codified by academics.”
*Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction*
“An invaluable aid for the would-be memoirist, the book is highly
recommended.”
*The Midwest Book Review*
“An established memoirist in his own right, Larson delves into
nitty-gritty analyses of memoirs and those who write them.… This is
a valuable book for anyone who contemplates writing a memoir, or
who simply enjoys reading them.”
*American Society of Journalists & Authors*
“A particularly enlightening book for memoir writers and teachers.
Larson has a readable style, writes intelligently and openly about
what makes an authentic piece of life writing. He includes an
invaluable number of memoirs worth reading as well as references to
books on memoir. Highly recommended.”
“Written with clarity, Larson’s contribution to the analysis of
both what drives writers to deliver to a hungry audience the
intimate details of their lives, and his opinions about the reason
why we keep reading, makes for an enlightening book.”
“This thoughtfully reasoned and lucidly written book delves further
into the dynamics of the new memoir than anything I know of, and is
sure to spark discussion, help guide would-be practitioners, and
bring much–needed illumination to a vexed subject.”
*author of The Art of the Personal Essay*
“What makes the book particularly valuable is Larson’s obvious
familiarity with and discussion of some of the biggest titles in
the field.”
*Bookslut*
“Thomas Larson’s The Memoir and the Memoirist is much more than
another how–to book. With great depth and clarity, Larson examines
that which drives writers to cast their lot with truth and
celebrates the myriad ways writers ’reassemble’ themselves while
seeking and shaping their stories.”
*author of Fault Line and Between Revolutions: An American Romance
with Russia*
“Absorbing and eclectic.”
“In this provocative guide to the art of memoir writing, Larson
examines the complex nature of the self in search of itself and
demonstrates how the subtle art of remembering gives birth to that
anomaly we call the memoirist. The Memoir and the Memoirist is a
must read for every writer and reader of this dynamic literary
genre.”
*author of Unreliable Truth: On Memoir and Memory*
“Thomas Larson thoroughly explores the genre from a place of love
and critical thinking. He dives headfirst into a sea of human
stories, explaining and comparing, bringing readers a better
understanding of the uniqueness of the niche.… An enlightening
book.”
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