Time out of Mind: The Diaries of Leonard Michaels, 1961-1995

by Leonard Michaels

The critically acclaimed author of The Men's Club shares a collection of observations, meditations, and confidences drawn from more than thirty years of journals that capture the inner world of a man struggling to balance his diverse roles as husband, friend, lover, father, and writer. Reprint.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Literature

214 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 1999

About the author

Leonard Michaels was an American writer of short stories, novels, and essays, and a Professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I'd like this as much as I've loved his two novels, but I quickly found myself--again!--in love with Leonard Michaels's style and voice. This book is full of great little moments of life, from the mundane mechanics of struggling relationships to anecdotes about other famous writers. In many ways, his observations carry the weight of the deepest philosophical and emotional matters that a man faces in life. I can't tell you how much I am in love with this guy's writing right now--it has the perfect amount of honesty, crankiness, humor, and gritty sadness. He is my new favorite writer and I'm going to read everything he has written. In fact, I just started Shuffle, which also starts with a bunch of journal entries.

[Amanda Winfree · Rating 5 out of 5]

My all-time favorite book by my all-time favorite author, this is an amazing collection of Leonard Michaels' journal entries. Every page either tore me apart or put me back together again. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and I think this world misses him very much.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Leonard Michaels' stories. He is a master of the voice-driven narrative and hugely funny besides. This book covers his diaries from 1961-1995. I found it completely engaging. I'm also starting a new shelf for it: books to help get you back into writing...if you've been away.

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have such a dead-author crush on Leonard Michaels, it's really such a shame he's dead, I would've loved to just hang out with him and chat (and marry him and move in with him and raise his son as my own etc etc)

[Antonio Marcos Pereira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superlative diary. Michaels himself edited it for publication, and it's rather slight for the lifespan it represents, some 35 years. The edition adds to the power of the entries, and by the end things reach a point where Michaels is writing about drinking water and you feel you are reading about the meaning of life. Cheever's diaries get a lot of kudos, and deservedly so. But Michaels is also a great poet of life in, around, from and away from New York. One of my favorite diaries ever - and I've read many.

[DJ Salinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leonard Michaels summer <3

[k · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh, disappointing. i think i'd rather read his stories, i'll try to get ahold of a copy of those (just re-released).