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Why X Matters Series
Why Writing Matters
Drawing lessons from writers of all ages and writing across genres, a distinguished teacher and writer reveals the enduring importance of writing for our time
In this new contribution to Yale University Press’s Why X Matters series, a distinguished writer and scholar tackles central questions of the discipline of writing. Drawing on his own experience with such mentors as John Updike, John Gardner, and James Baldwin, and in turn having taught such rising stars as Jesmyn Ward, Delbanco looks in particular at questions of influence and the contradictory, simultaneous impulses toward imitation and originality. Part memoir, part literary history, and part analysis, this unique text will resonate with students, writers, writing teachers, and bibliophiles.
In this new contribution to Yale University Press’s Why X Matters series, a distinguished writer and scholar tackles central questions of the discipline of writing. Drawing on his own experience with such mentors as John Updike, John Gardner, and James Baldwin, and in turn having taught such rising stars as Jesmyn Ward, Delbanco looks in particular at questions of influence and the contradictory, simultaneous impulses toward imitation and originality. Part memoir, part literary history, and part analysis, this unique text will resonate with students, writers, writing teachers, and bibliophiles.
- GenresWritingNonfiction
296 pages, Hardcover
First published March 17, 2020
9 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Delbanco
98 books18 followersNicholas Delbanco is the Robert Frost Distinguished University Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan and Chair of the Hopwood Committee. He has published twenty-five books of fiction and non-fiction. His most recent novels are The Count of Concord and Spring and Fall; his most recent works of non-fiction are The Countess of Stanlein Restored and The Lost Suitcase: Reflections on the Literary Life. As editor he has compiled the work of, among others, John Gardner and Bernard Malamud. The long-term Director of the MFA Program as well as the Hopwood Awards Program at the University of Michigan, he has served as Chair of the Fiction Panel for the National Book Awards, received a Guggenheim Fellowship and, twice, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship. Professor Delbanco has just completed a teaching text for McGraw-Hill entitled Literature: Craft and Voice, a three-volume Introduction to Literature of which he is the co-editor with Alan Cheuse; in 2004 he published The Sincerest Form: Writiing Fiction by Imitation. His new non-fiction book, Lastingness: The Art of Old Age will be published by Grand Central Publishing in 2011.
Full Biography
NOTE: The following biography was composed in 2000 by Jon Manchip White and reflects information only up to and including that year.
Nationality: American. Born: London, England, 1942. Education: Harvard University, B.A. 1963; Columbia University, M.A. 1966. Career: Member of Department of Language and Literature, Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont, 1966-84, writing workshop director, 1977-84; professor of English, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York, 1984-85; Robert Frost Professor of English Language and Literature, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1985—. Awards: National Endowment for the Arts creative writing award, 1973, 1982; National Endowment of Composers and Librettists fellowship, 1976; Guggenheim fellowship, 1980; Woodrow Wilson fellowship; Edward John Noble fellowship; New York State CAPS Award; Vermont Council of the Arts Award; Michigan Council of the Arts Award. Agent: Brandt & Brandt Literary Agents, Inc., 1501 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, U.S.A.
As a novelist, Nicholas Delbanco can be considered doubly fortunate in that he has always been able to draw inspiration and sustenance from two continents and two cultures.
Of Italian and German descent, he was born in London at the height of the German Blitz, and his family did not depart for America until he was six, and he was not naturalized as an American citizen until he was eleven. It is not surprising that, though later he would anchor himself firmly in New England and particularly in Vermont, and more recently in Michigan as the Robert Frost Professor of English Language and Literature, the influence of his European origins would play a consistent part in his fiction and non-fiction alike.
The cultural ambivalence, if such it may be called, manifested itself early. At Harvard, his B.A. thesis was devoted to a joint study of Rilke and Heredia, two noteworthy wanderers, and the subject of his M.A. thesis was that tragic outcast, Malcolm Lowry. Examining the numerous novels Delbanco has published to date, one finds that only five are set exclusively in the United States and that the majority are set, either in whole or part, in Provence, Tuscany, Greece, Switzerland, or as far afield as Barbados and Mexico. Several of his non-fiction books are concerned with Europe, one of them a study of that remarkable group of literary exiles, including Conrad, Crane, and James, who lived and worked together in a small corner of England at the turn of the last century. Indeed, one of the courses Delbanco has taught over the years is specifically entitled “Exiles,” and is devoted to Becket, Conrad, and Nabokov, while other courses have featured a gallery of roving and displaced novelists such as Joyce, Lawrence, Forster, Ford, Mann, Fitzgerald, and He
Full Biography
NOTE: The following biography was composed in 2000 by Jon Manchip White and reflects information only up to and including that year.
Nationality: American. Born: London, England, 1942. Education: Harvard University, B.A. 1963; Columbia University, M.A. 1966. Career: Member of Department of Language and Literature, Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont, 1966-84, writing workshop director, 1977-84; professor of English, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York, 1984-85; Robert Frost Professor of English Language and Literature, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1985—. Awards: National Endowment for the Arts creative writing award, 1973, 1982; National Endowment of Composers and Librettists fellowship, 1976; Guggenheim fellowship, 1980; Woodrow Wilson fellowship; Edward John Noble fellowship; New York State CAPS Award; Vermont Council of the Arts Award; Michigan Council of the Arts Award. Agent: Brandt & Brandt Literary Agents, Inc., 1501 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, U.S.A.
As a novelist, Nicholas Delbanco can be considered doubly fortunate in that he has always been able to draw inspiration and sustenance from two continents and two cultures.
Of Italian and German descent, he was born in London at the height of the German Blitz, and his family did not depart for America until he was six, and he was not naturalized as an American citizen until he was eleven. It is not surprising that, though later he would anchor himself firmly in New England and particularly in Vermont, and more recently in Michigan as the Robert Frost Professor of English Language and Literature, the influence of his European origins would play a consistent part in his fiction and non-fiction alike.
The cultural ambivalence, if such it may be called, manifested itself early. At Harvard, his B.A. thesis was devoted to a joint study of Rilke and Heredia, two noteworthy wanderers, and the subject of his M.A. thesis was that tragic outcast, Malcolm Lowry. Examining the numerous novels Delbanco has published to date, one finds that only five are set exclusively in the United States and that the majority are set, either in whole or part, in Provence, Tuscany, Greece, Switzerland, or as far afield as Barbados and Mexico. Several of his non-fiction books are concerned with Europe, one of them a study of that remarkable group of literary exiles, including Conrad, Crane, and James, who lived and worked together in a small corner of England at the turn of the last century. Indeed, one of the courses Delbanco has taught over the years is specifically entitled “Exiles,” and is devoted to Becket, Conrad, and Nabokov, while other courses have featured a gallery of roving and displaced novelists such as Joyce, Lawrence, Forster, Ford, Mann, Fitzgerald, and He
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 4, 2020
I found this book over-complicated. I had high hopes and expectations, and was looking forward to reading it, but it started off so slowly that I was not engaged with the content. I am a MA Creative Writing student, but I still didn’t enjoy the book or benefit from it. There was some useful content though, which could have been better presented.
July 23, 2020
"Why Writing Matters... is intended both as explanation and an exhortation; the next time you pick up a pencil or pen—or turn on your cellphone or iPad—remember you join in a long-standing practice and a time-honored tradition."
Reading this book is like taking this professor's class--decades of personal experience woven into wide-ranging readings in literature, history, and archaeology. The author had the advantages of a mid-twentieth-century education in prep schools and the Ivy League, followed by a charmed career teaching and writing, but he is happy to share the treasures he learned by being John Updike's student and a friend of John Gardner and James Baldwin, among many other interesting connections. I found myself adding many new names to my to-read list as I read, and feeling more inspired to write.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.
Reading this book is like taking this professor's class--decades of personal experience woven into wide-ranging readings in literature, history, and archaeology. The author had the advantages of a mid-twentieth-century education in prep schools and the Ivy League, followed by a charmed career teaching and writing, but he is happy to share the treasures he learned by being John Updike's student and a friend of John Gardner and James Baldwin, among many other interesting connections. I found myself adding many new names to my to-read list as I read, and feeling more inspired to write.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.
February 3, 2020
Why Writing Matters is full of Delbanco's personal experiences with writing, with his mentors, and with his students.
Delbanco begins with one of the most important reasons for writing: "before the invention of writing, spoken discourse could not last." Oral transmission, while wonderful for making use of memory, is "subject to forgetfulness or change." The oral tradition was marvelous, but writing has more permanence.
Writing, words on a page or clay tablet, allows cultures to be shared and provides a way to imagine the future and to keep evidence of the past. Writing enables us to communicate with those who are not physically present--and recorded history and literature allow us to communicate with those from the past.
One important note that Delbanco makes early, and returns to later: Read it again! Our first impressions of a written work can change. The beloved books of our youth can take on new meaning or become obvious in their lack of genuine content or style. When an adolescent Delbanco was spouting the marvels of The Scarlet Pimpernel, one of his teachers advised him to read it again. At fourteen, he did and discovered that while the book had been fun and exciting, it was not the great literature he had imagined. Delbanco's reminiscences of his teachers, mentors, and colleagues reveal how writers learn their trade and inspire each other.
( Delbanco was a privileged and intelligent kid with the added advantage of some marvelous teachers at his prep school. Fieldston is part of the Ivy Preparatory School League and is an elite school with impressive graduates and teachers.)
After Fieldston:
"He was educated at Harvard University, B.A. 1963; Columbia University, M.A. 1966. He taught at Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont, 1966–84, and at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York, 1984–85. He was a visiting Professor at such institutions also as Trinity College, Williams College, Columbia University and the University of Iowa. He was director of the MFA Program, and the Hopwood Awards Program at the University of Michigan, until his retirement in 2015." (Wikipedia)
The section on imitation is interesting, and Delbanco emphasizes that for many trades apprenticeship has been the preferred way to learn. He adds, "But to imitate is not to be derivative; it's simply to admit that we derive from what was accomplished by others." And "No one seeks to be original when learning scales, or how to use a grindstone, or where the comma belongs in a dependent clause. " We emulate in order to learn skills.
Delbanco also discusses imitation, forgery, plagiarism, and authenticity in an intriguing way with famous examples.
The exploitation and corruption of language is another way of examining both spoken and written words. Think politicians--saying one thing, then saying they didn't say it or that they didn't mean it. Instead of cogent and meaningful discourse, the choosing of hyperbole and boastfulness, repetition "as if asseveration might make a falsehood true" has become more and more common. Do people mean what they say or what they write? I find it difficult to believe political rhetoric, mostly because it lacks sincerity at best and is predominantly ad hominem attack without content or truth at worst. An intentional misuse of language, Delbanco believes is an assault on democracy. I'm not sure anyone would disagree these days.
This wasn't intended to such a long review, but as I skim over all the highlighted passages I marked as I read, there is no way to cover everything. There are sections I would omit. Sometimes a few examples are better than too many and Delbanco, who takes obvious joy in writing, can overdo a good thing at times. :)
The book was a pleasure to read, and I loved the references to writers I've read and to some I've only read about. I enjoyed the plays on words (though maybe some should be cut) and Debanco's pleasure in language is evident throughout, and I loved learning a couple of new-to-me interpretations of quotes from Hamlet.
I want to read the final edited version and have pre-ordered the book. Read in January; blog review scheduled for March 3.
NetGalley/Yale U.P.
Nonfiction. March 17, 2020. Print length: 296 pages (ARC)
Delbanco begins with one of the most important reasons for writing: "before the invention of writing, spoken discourse could not last." Oral transmission, while wonderful for making use of memory, is "subject to forgetfulness or change." The oral tradition was marvelous, but writing has more permanence.
Writing, words on a page or clay tablet, allows cultures to be shared and provides a way to imagine the future and to keep evidence of the past. Writing enables us to communicate with those who are not physically present--and recorded history and literature allow us to communicate with those from the past.
One important note that Delbanco makes early, and returns to later: Read it again! Our first impressions of a written work can change. The beloved books of our youth can take on new meaning or become obvious in their lack of genuine content or style. When an adolescent Delbanco was spouting the marvels of The Scarlet Pimpernel, one of his teachers advised him to read it again. At fourteen, he did and discovered that while the book had been fun and exciting, it was not the great literature he had imagined. Delbanco's reminiscences of his teachers, mentors, and colleagues reveal how writers learn their trade and inspire each other.
( Delbanco was a privileged and intelligent kid with the added advantage of some marvelous teachers at his prep school. Fieldston is part of the Ivy Preparatory School League and is an elite school with impressive graduates and teachers.)
After Fieldston:
"He was educated at Harvard University, B.A. 1963; Columbia University, M.A. 1966. He taught at Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont, 1966–84, and at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York, 1984–85. He was a visiting Professor at such institutions also as Trinity College, Williams College, Columbia University and the University of Iowa. He was director of the MFA Program, and the Hopwood Awards Program at the University of Michigan, until his retirement in 2015." (Wikipedia)
The section on imitation is interesting, and Delbanco emphasizes that for many trades apprenticeship has been the preferred way to learn. He adds, "But to imitate is not to be derivative; it's simply to admit that we derive from what was accomplished by others." And "No one seeks to be original when learning scales, or how to use a grindstone, or where the comma belongs in a dependent clause. " We emulate in order to learn skills.
Delbanco also discusses imitation, forgery, plagiarism, and authenticity in an intriguing way with famous examples.
The exploitation and corruption of language is another way of examining both spoken and written words. Think politicians--saying one thing, then saying they didn't say it or that they didn't mean it. Instead of cogent and meaningful discourse, the choosing of hyperbole and boastfulness, repetition "as if asseveration might make a falsehood true" has become more and more common. Do people mean what they say or what they write? I find it difficult to believe political rhetoric, mostly because it lacks sincerity at best and is predominantly ad hominem attack without content or truth at worst. An intentional misuse of language, Delbanco believes is an assault on democracy. I'm not sure anyone would disagree these days.
This wasn't intended to such a long review, but as I skim over all the highlighted passages I marked as I read, there is no way to cover everything. There are sections I would omit. Sometimes a few examples are better than too many and Delbanco, who takes obvious joy in writing, can overdo a good thing at times. :)
The book was a pleasure to read, and I loved the references to writers I've read and to some I've only read about. I enjoyed the plays on words (though maybe some should be cut) and Debanco's pleasure in language is evident throughout, and I loved learning a couple of new-to-me interpretations of quotes from Hamlet.
I want to read the final edited version and have pre-ordered the book. Read in January; blog review scheduled for March 3.
NetGalley/Yale U.P.
Nonfiction. March 17, 2020. Print length: 296 pages (ARC)
March 24, 2020
Writing, of course, matters. However, Why Writing Matters, doesn’t. At least not to those looking for a writing guidebook.
This book is half memoir and half a literary history lesson. It has a few interesting ideas. But many of the ideas are obvious. Reading your favorite books later in life will give you a new perspective? Duh.
I realize that this book is part of a series of Why x Matters. However, the title here feels misleading. Therefore, Why Writing Matters receives 2 stars from me.
Thanks to Yale University Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book is half memoir and half a literary history lesson. It has a few interesting ideas. But many of the ideas are obvious. Reading your favorite books later in life will give you a new perspective? Duh.
I realize that this book is part of a series of Why x Matters. However, the title here feels misleading. Therefore, Why Writing Matters receives 2 stars from me.
Thanks to Yale University Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
April 20, 2020
In Why Writing Matters Nicholas DelBanco draws on his experience as a writer and professor of English language to create something that is part memoir, part a masterclass in writing technique.
At first, I felt the book was little more than a namedropping exercise until the point where DelBanco began an extended discussion of the difference between imitation and downright plagiarism.
He not only illustrated this by using some real-life examples as case studies, but then expanded the discussion into some fascinating writing exercises he had set his own students on rewriting a particular chapter of an author’s work in the style of another author. This was not so much a case of mimicry as drawing on writing that resonated with the practitioner to develop their craft further. That he uses actual examples from students who went on to be authors in their own right provides some intriguing insights into style and tone and how they can really change the way a piece of writing expresses itself to the reader.
The whole book really asks the writer to stand back from their writing and look at it from a whole new perspective. The examples that are used as writing exercises are extremely useful and highly relevant and really do make you think.
Why Writing Matters is not a book for someone without previous writing experience, because it requires some understanding of the craft to really appreciate what DelBanco is conveying in terms of developing a more thoughtful and nuanced writing process.
However, anyone who really enjoys reading and reads extensively will find this book very interesting because understanding the techniques underpinning the writing within them will increase their pleasure of a well written book.
What really impressed me was that DelBanco was prepared to share his struggles over a first draft of something which never saw the light of day with regards to publishing. We are even treated to his attempts at a rewrite, which again did not make the grade. But in doing so he demonstrates how much there is to be learned and gained as a practitioner by these unsuccessful attempts, which should not be seen as a failure, but the honing of a skill. That someone of his depth of experience should need to wrestle with words and continually strive to perfect his use of them, is also a very helpful and reassuring perspective for any writer.
There is plenty in Why Writing Matters for a writer and reader to think about, and it is a book that will continue to give in terms of enjoyment and wisdom even after many times of reading.
Why Writing Matters was courtesy of Yale University Press.
At first, I felt the book was little more than a namedropping exercise until the point where DelBanco began an extended discussion of the difference between imitation and downright plagiarism.
He not only illustrated this by using some real-life examples as case studies, but then expanded the discussion into some fascinating writing exercises he had set his own students on rewriting a particular chapter of an author’s work in the style of another author. This was not so much a case of mimicry as drawing on writing that resonated with the practitioner to develop their craft further. That he uses actual examples from students who went on to be authors in their own right provides some intriguing insights into style and tone and how they can really change the way a piece of writing expresses itself to the reader.
The whole book really asks the writer to stand back from their writing and look at it from a whole new perspective. The examples that are used as writing exercises are extremely useful and highly relevant and really do make you think.
Why Writing Matters is not a book for someone without previous writing experience, because it requires some understanding of the craft to really appreciate what DelBanco is conveying in terms of developing a more thoughtful and nuanced writing process.
However, anyone who really enjoys reading and reads extensively will find this book very interesting because understanding the techniques underpinning the writing within them will increase their pleasure of a well written book.
What really impressed me was that DelBanco was prepared to share his struggles over a first draft of something which never saw the light of day with regards to publishing. We are even treated to his attempts at a rewrite, which again did not make the grade. But in doing so he demonstrates how much there is to be learned and gained as a practitioner by these unsuccessful attempts, which should not be seen as a failure, but the honing of a skill. That someone of his depth of experience should need to wrestle with words and continually strive to perfect his use of them, is also a very helpful and reassuring perspective for any writer.
There is plenty in Why Writing Matters for a writer and reader to think about, and it is a book that will continue to give in terms of enjoyment and wisdom even after many times of reading.
Why Writing Matters was courtesy of Yale University Press.
Read
February 5, 2020I am going to hold my hands up and say that I couldn't finish this book. I gave up around page 78 as it had the overwhelming feeling of someone who started every conversation with phrases such as "I'm not sexist but..."
Nicholas Delbanco opens the novel by discussing writing as the almost natural progression of recording language and speech. Stories such as the epic poems of Homer were originally passed on orally. Now the ability to read and write is seen as a marker of education, something that many of us take for granted. I am aware that my own grandfather was practically illiterate and have been told that this was a source of much embarrassment for him as it is for people who struggle to read and write today.
Delbanco alludes to the different interpretations that a text can have by the simple exhortation: Read it again. This is a sentiment that I can get behind as often a text is seen in a totally different light upon a second reading, occasionally turning a book you once loved into one you are ambivalent about and vice versa. This message seems to have been buried in a section about teachers who helped foster his own love of writing though.
I am not sure that the reader gains much from the autobiographical section full of name dropping. He says that he's 'aware that all this smacks of "the old boy's club" on page seven but be prepared for a further roughly 26 pages in the same vein. Hidden in this section there is also a hint about better writing, namely avoiding purple prose and overwriting by using an example of his own early work where he used the phrase "small little beds". This echoes a comment made by my tutor in my feedback from the first assignment not to overwrite when less is more. The vast majority of the rest unfortunately makes the writer appear smug as he relishes in telling us of praise received from the famous names teaching him for even first drafts. Perhaps he is a natural writing genius but he certainly doesn't have humility. If a reader is looking for a story of hard work, revision and sticking at something despite struggling, this certainly isn't the book for them. The author even sounds arrogant as he recounts a tale of giving a lecture on Virginia Woolf without doing any preparation as he spent the previous night drinking with John Gardener. I have somewhat lost the thread by this point as to what this has to do with why writing matters rather than to plump the author's ego.
I was relieved to move on to the chapter on "Imitation" and suggests that as we learn all other things, we learn to write by constantly reading. Delbanco discusses how now everyone is obsessed by the concept of being "original" however no one is formed in a vacuum and to imagine that writers are not influenced by those they read would be naïve. This makes sense of the instruction in our course notes to mention what books we have been reading in the process of completing each section as they will at the very least subconsciously influenced our own thought processes. He proceeds to discuss the opposing notions of there being "nothing new under the sun" and the drive to "[m]ake it new". He emphasises that "[e]verything is interlinked and has some prior resonance; all of us live with the past" (Delbanco 2020:45)
My heart sank when Delbanco opts to choose five texts to examine. He readily admits of those chosen "Each of the texts is Western...Five out of these six authors are male; all of them are white." I am bemused that the author can be so aware of his bias and yet does not make an attempt to step outside of his own comfort zone and analyse texts from other backgrounds.
It was around p78 that I gave up to focus on other recommended books for my studies so I cannot comment further. I only gave one star as I was unable to give none, surely justifiable by the fact I couldn't even finish it.
Nicholas Delbanco opens the novel by discussing writing as the almost natural progression of recording language and speech. Stories such as the epic poems of Homer were originally passed on orally. Now the ability to read and write is seen as a marker of education, something that many of us take for granted. I am aware that my own grandfather was practically illiterate and have been told that this was a source of much embarrassment for him as it is for people who struggle to read and write today.
Delbanco alludes to the different interpretations that a text can have by the simple exhortation: Read it again. This is a sentiment that I can get behind as often a text is seen in a totally different light upon a second reading, occasionally turning a book you once loved into one you are ambivalent about and vice versa. This message seems to have been buried in a section about teachers who helped foster his own love of writing though.
I am not sure that the reader gains much from the autobiographical section full of name dropping. He says that he's 'aware that all this smacks of "the old boy's club" on page seven but be prepared for a further roughly 26 pages in the same vein. Hidden in this section there is also a hint about better writing, namely avoiding purple prose and overwriting by using an example of his own early work where he used the phrase "small little beds". This echoes a comment made by my tutor in my feedback from the first assignment not to overwrite when less is more. The vast majority of the rest unfortunately makes the writer appear smug as he relishes in telling us of praise received from the famous names teaching him for even first drafts. Perhaps he is a natural writing genius but he certainly doesn't have humility. If a reader is looking for a story of hard work, revision and sticking at something despite struggling, this certainly isn't the book for them. The author even sounds arrogant as he recounts a tale of giving a lecture on Virginia Woolf without doing any preparation as he spent the previous night drinking with John Gardener. I have somewhat lost the thread by this point as to what this has to do with why writing matters rather than to plump the author's ego.
I was relieved to move on to the chapter on "Imitation" and suggests that as we learn all other things, we learn to write by constantly reading. Delbanco discusses how now everyone is obsessed by the concept of being "original" however no one is formed in a vacuum and to imagine that writers are not influenced by those they read would be naïve. This makes sense of the instruction in our course notes to mention what books we have been reading in the process of completing each section as they will at the very least subconsciously influenced our own thought processes. He proceeds to discuss the opposing notions of there being "nothing new under the sun" and the drive to "[m]ake it new". He emphasises that "[e]verything is interlinked and has some prior resonance; all of us live with the past" (Delbanco 2020:45)
My heart sank when Delbanco opts to choose five texts to examine. He readily admits of those chosen "Each of the texts is Western...Five out of these six authors are male; all of them are white." I am bemused that the author can be so aware of his bias and yet does not make an attempt to step outside of his own comfort zone and analyse texts from other backgrounds.
It was around p78 that I gave up to focus on other recommended books for my studies so I cannot comment further. I only gave one star as I was unable to give none, surely justifiable by the fact I couldn't even finish it.
Read
March 22, 2020I approached Why Writing Matters as a memoir of someone whose work I've admired over the decades, but I found something a bit different, something MORE.
The book, rich with musings about the why of writing, offers even more about the how. It's a kind of master pattern for a self-taught writer (here I imagine a person who is isolated geographically, or economically, or by gender, from the company of other writers, and from the camaraderie and inspiration they offer.)
I loved the many anecdotes about his own teachers and his students (in particular the struggles of Jesmyn Ward, whose work reads - of course - as if it were effortless.) I can see my imaginary recluse chasing down every one of DelBanco's references, from Greek tragedy through the Metaphysical Poets to the white-male-academic-centered novels of 20th-Century renown.
I loved his Strategies in Prose syllabus, with its seemingly endless supply of writing exercises, and with his revision and further revision and yet-further revision of his own long-abandoned novel Blumenberg the Elder.
I wish I could have read Why Writing Matters 50 years ago. Thanks to NetGalley and Yale University Press for an advance readers copy.
The book, rich with musings about the why of writing, offers even more about the how. It's a kind of master pattern for a self-taught writer (here I imagine a person who is isolated geographically, or economically, or by gender, from the company of other writers, and from the camaraderie and inspiration they offer.)
I loved the many anecdotes about his own teachers and his students (in particular the struggles of Jesmyn Ward, whose work reads - of course - as if it were effortless.) I can see my imaginary recluse chasing down every one of DelBanco's references, from Greek tragedy through the Metaphysical Poets to the white-male-academic-centered novels of 20th-Century renown.
I loved his Strategies in Prose syllabus, with its seemingly endless supply of writing exercises, and with his revision and further revision and yet-further revision of his own long-abandoned novel Blumenberg the Elder.
I wish I could have read Why Writing Matters 50 years ago. Thanks to NetGalley and Yale University Press for an advance readers copy.
November 10, 2022
This book explores, in some very interesting ways, numerous aspects of writing, including mimicry, plagiarism, revision, and the process of gaining one's own voice and authenticity.
My core criticism is that it is not clear who it is written for. This comment is somewhat ironic, as the book is extremely precise and well-written throughout its text. In the course of documenting the points he makes, Delblanco includes many creative writing efforts that he or his MFA students have made in the support of some given exercise. The big issue I had with the book is that while I liked much of what the author was delving into, the lines between the book's exposition and the examples he was offering were not clear enough, and I often lost track of what it was that I was reading.
My core criticism is that it is not clear who it is written for. This comment is somewhat ironic, as the book is extremely precise and well-written throughout its text. In the course of documenting the points he makes, Delblanco includes many creative writing efforts that he or his MFA students have made in the support of some given exercise. The big issue I had with the book is that while I liked much of what the author was delving into, the lines between the book's exposition and the examples he was offering were not clear enough, and I often lost track of what it was that I was reading.
March 18, 2020
It is a generally well written book, however, I found it trivia and does not match the title "Why Writing Matters". I like when the author explains about mimicking, imitation in writing, fine text and so on, however, starting the book with "teachers" did fail me as a reader to illustrate or simply try to answer the question raised in the title. They are plenty of books and authors mentioned, such as Updike, James Baldwin etc., but again, the text and the flow does not appeal to me.
June 2, 2020
What a loss for our culture had Nicholas Delbanco not shared this hefty tome Why Writing Matters.This work demands to be read in short stretches and then savored, as it is filled with Delbanco’s years of experience and knowledge of writers and writing. Part memoir, part history, the work is reminiscent of the prose of classical writers. This treasure of and on writing tells us that here we hold the basis of culture and even civilization.
March 12, 2020
At this time, this is not the book for me. I would say that the way the book presented its ideas does not resonate with me yet.
Nevertheless, some people may enjoy it and I would be happy happy for them.
Nevertheless, some people may enjoy it and I would be happy happy for them.
April 9, 2020
Not what I was expecting from the title - and that disappointment perhaps affected my reaction to the book. I'm afraid I disliked the tone and was unable to finish it.
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 15, 2020
A bit disappointing. I did not find this very inspiring at all. I have read much better books on writing.
October 26, 2020
Indeed, it matters and this book illustrates the manifold reasons why.
February 1, 2023
Disappointing. A bit meandering and anecdotal, and offensive, in places. Maybe the title question is just too easy to answer.
February 3, 2020
Why Writing Matters
by Nicholas Delbanco
Yale University Press
Nonfiction (Adult)
Pub Date 17 Mar 2020
I am reviewing a copy of Why Writing Matters through Yale University Press and Netgalley:
Writing matters, but why does it matter?
Nicole’s Delbanco reminds us that “So somewhere in some distant place and time some someone made a mark on stone or wood or ice or clay or sand and somebody else understood it and the process of writing began.”
This book is the newest in Yale University Press Why X Matters series. Distinguished writer and scholar Nicholas Delbanco tackles important questions about the discipline of writing. Delbanco draws from his own experiences with mentors, John Updike, John Gardener, and James Baldwin. Delbanco in turn went on to teach such rising stars such as Jesmyn Ward. The author focuses on questions of influence and the contradiction that simultaneously moves us towards imitation, but also originality. A contradiction in itself.
Why Writing Matters is part memoir, part literary history, as well as part analysis. This unique book will resonate with students, writers, writing teachers, and bibliophiles.
I give Why Writing Matters five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
by Nicholas Delbanco
Yale University Press
Nonfiction (Adult)
Pub Date 17 Mar 2020
I am reviewing a copy of Why Writing Matters through Yale University Press and Netgalley:
Writing matters, but why does it matter?
Nicole’s Delbanco reminds us that “So somewhere in some distant place and time some someone made a mark on stone or wood or ice or clay or sand and somebody else understood it and the process of writing began.”
This book is the newest in Yale University Press Why X Matters series. Distinguished writer and scholar Nicholas Delbanco tackles important questions about the discipline of writing. Delbanco draws from his own experiences with mentors, John Updike, John Gardener, and James Baldwin. Delbanco in turn went on to teach such rising stars such as Jesmyn Ward. The author focuses on questions of influence and the contradiction that simultaneously moves us towards imitation, but also originality. A contradiction in itself.
Why Writing Matters is part memoir, part literary history, as well as part analysis. This unique book will resonate with students, writers, writing teachers, and bibliophiles.
I give Why Writing Matters five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
April 19, 2020
Although dressed with a very compelling title, Why Writing Matters failed to grasp my attention. The essence of the book wasn't bad at all. But the execution was severely lacking, in that it was unnecessarily complicated, with a hindered flow and thoughts going rapidly from one point to another.
January 31, 2020
Here are my pros and cons about this book. Pros: The author describes his own experiences on writing and what he has gone through. I picked it because I hope to write my own book some day. Cons: I felt like I was reading a term paper in a way because there were alot of references and things I didn't understand. That is my only con though. All in all It's not a bad book. i give it four stars. Thank you netgalley, the author ,and publishers for allowing me to read this. I do recommend this book for anyone that is interested in writing
January 23, 2020
I truly want to hate this book, not because it is not insightful but because as as Writer and Reader, I've finally read a book that the author focuses not only on the craft of writing but shares personal insights of how he was inspired and mentored by other writers.
Nine chapters and each one builds upon most the questions and clarifications that writers seek- I'm all the way in Kenya and could relate to this book, that's how much of an impact it had on me.
I started reading it as a potential reviewer then took a step back and went back to the beginning to read it as a Writer and can I say that chapter 2 on Imitation was such a gem!
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC. I see this is a must read and it could be well added to any writing program- more so because of the author's insights on the focus of workshops.
Nine chapters and each one builds upon most the questions and clarifications that writers seek- I'm all the way in Kenya and could relate to this book, that's how much of an impact it had on me.
I started reading it as a potential reviewer then took a step back and went back to the beginning to read it as a Writer and can I say that chapter 2 on Imitation was such a gem!
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC. I see this is a must read and it could be well added to any writing program- more so because of the author's insights on the focus of workshops.
January 22, 2020
Why Writing Matters is an excellent resource for inspiration to get your writing projects started, the sections of this book are broken down into parts, writing, getting started, and taking action. Nicholas's message is inviting as he holds your hand through the writing process. In Why Writing Matters, you'll be inspired to create a platform to share your writing, build a brand to build trust, and distribute your work through channels and connections. After reading this book, I've started writing again, but now I understand the importance of finishing my projects. I don't want to continue saying, "yes, I have a #wip."
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