The Spirit of Writing: Classic and Contemporary Essays Celebrating the Writing Life

by Mark Robert Waldman (Editor ), Eaton Hamilton (Contributor), Tom Bradley

In this compilation of essays by renowned writers from Joseph Conrad to Gail Godwin, therapist and expert on creativity Mark Waldman offers a rare glimpse into the inner world of the writer. Here is a wealth of valuable insight on matters both practical and emotional: from Janet Fitch on how she kept her creativity alive before her novel won Oprah's seal of approval, to Anne Lamott on the difficulty of first drafts, to Octavio Paz on the mystery and language of words. These elegant meditations on what it means to be a person who writes offer comfort and inspiration for the countless writers who struggle each day to put words down on paper.

Genres: Writing, Essays

Paperback

First published August 27, 2001

Reviews

[Liaken · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there are some good essays in this collection (by which I mean that I liked them), the majority of the essays were either pretentious or boring (okay, and many were both). I think the bias of the editor toward those who embody the mythic "Great Writer" is over-represented in this collection. It started to feel like anyone who wanted to write The Great American Novel was ... well, not someone you'd like to have lunch with.

The blurb for the book says: "Here is a wealth of valuable insight on matters both practical and emotional" ... but I found this book to be poor, not wealthy, and very lacking in insight for the most part. There are glimpses, as I said. A few essays here and there that seemed written from the soul instead of the ego ... but they are few.

Anyway, I'd say, go ahead and skip this collection. Wading through it to find the good bits was mostly a waste of time. Alas.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were enough outstanding essays in this collection that made those which were more run of the mill just fly by.
A really outstanding collection;.