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Conversations with Steve Martin
Baba Yaga is an ambiguous and fascinating figure. She appears in traditional Russian folktales as a monstrous and hungry cannibal, or as a canny inquisitor of the adolescent hero or heroine of the tale. In new translations and with an introduction by Sibelan Forrester, Baba The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales is a selection of tales that draws from the famous collection of Aleksandr Afanas'ev, but also includes some tales from the lesser-known nineteenth-century collection of Ivan Khudiakov. This new collection includes beloved classics such as "Vasilisa the Beautiful" and "The Frog Princess," as well as a version of the tale that is the basis for the ballet "The Firebird." The preface and introduction place these tales in their traditional context with reference to Baba Yaga's continuing presence in today's culture--the witch appears iconically on tennis shoes, tee shirts, even tattoos. The stories are enriched with many wonderful illustrations of Baba Yaga, some old (traditional "lubok" woodcuts), some classical (the marvelous images from Victor Vasnetsov or Ivan Bilibin), and some quite recent or solicited specifically for this collection
- GenresComedy
345 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
3 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 18, 2014
I'll confess this much: I cheated. There were four galleys on my kindle and one free galley from the Goodreads first read program that I should have been reading if I took them all in order, but I was so overjoyed to learn I had received this one that after a couple of hours reading other (actually very good) books that I'd received earlier, I let myself have a peek at this one, like a kid who goes straight for the dessert table. Having read Born Standing Up, Martin's memoir, in April, I knew that if it was a Steve Martin book, I would be in for a treat, and probably a whole lot of giggles. I just could not wait!
Put your money away, friends, or else use it to get a copy of Martin's own memoir, mentioned above. Martin is one hell of a writer, and so any attempt to write about him will come in second place at best. But frankly, nobody tried very hard to do anything here. A bunch of interviews for magazines and the like were chopped up so that they could be laid out sequentially; Kapsis, the editor, attempts to put back the context that has been thus destroyed by inserting some dull paraphrasing and explanations in between them.
I confess that I am one of those obsessive readers who not only reads rapidly but completely. I read the introductions. I read the afterwords or epilogues. I even read the page where the writer thanks people, because once in awhile those are really witty, or give some as-yet-unseen insight into the author's life or thoughts. I once gave a book a whole extra star due to a really lucid, helpful thank you page.
I'll tell you right now, there is no hope for this one. Not before. Not during. Not after.
If you wonder whence that second star, I'll tell you: I only give one star reviews to books that are offensive, too poorly edited to be understood, or incomplete. Generally, since I write a little here and there (especially here), I remember that writers have feelings too, and I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. But not here. It's essentially a crass effort to make money by taking already written material and stringing it together. Actually, that is sort of offensive! Think of this as one and a half stars, rounded up.
Don't look for it on my blog. I only feature four and five star books there; happily, the very books I stepped away from to read this loser will find their way there; I can tell that about three of them already.
If you love Steve Martin, or if you want to read something really funny, buy a copy of Born Standing Up, by Steve Martin. Give this a miss.
Put your money away, friends, or else use it to get a copy of Martin's own memoir, mentioned above. Martin is one hell of a writer, and so any attempt to write about him will come in second place at best. But frankly, nobody tried very hard to do anything here. A bunch of interviews for magazines and the like were chopped up so that they could be laid out sequentially; Kapsis, the editor, attempts to put back the context that has been thus destroyed by inserting some dull paraphrasing and explanations in between them.
I confess that I am one of those obsessive readers who not only reads rapidly but completely. I read the introductions. I read the afterwords or epilogues. I even read the page where the writer thanks people, because once in awhile those are really witty, or give some as-yet-unseen insight into the author's life or thoughts. I once gave a book a whole extra star due to a really lucid, helpful thank you page.
I'll tell you right now, there is no hope for this one. Not before. Not during. Not after.
If you wonder whence that second star, I'll tell you: I only give one star reviews to books that are offensive, too poorly edited to be understood, or incomplete. Generally, since I write a little here and there (especially here), I remember that writers have feelings too, and I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. But not here. It's essentially a crass effort to make money by taking already written material and stringing it together. Actually, that is sort of offensive! Think of this as one and a half stars, rounded up.
Don't look for it on my blog. I only feature four and five star books there; happily, the very books I stepped away from to read this loser will find their way there; I can tell that about three of them already.
If you love Steve Martin, or if you want to read something really funny, buy a copy of Born Standing Up, by Steve Martin. Give this a miss.
May 14, 2025
Becomes very dry at the end when he is promoting his books and says the same things in each interview. The first 80% of this book is wonderful.
July 10, 2014
Steve Martin's works have passed through my life from my earliest days. My family was always big into comedies. I'm not going to say that my one uncle videotaped off of HBO practically every movie that they showed in the 80s. Plenty of Martin movies were part of that unsubstantiated archive. But it wasn't until the cusp of my adult when I understood, or rather realized that I did not yet fully understand, the work of Steve Martin. Late one night A Simple Twist of Fate came on. The credits said Steve Martin, so I settled in for solid entertainment. What I got was a character study of a complex man. My eyes were opened to a whole new world - that a comedian could be so much more.
What we have on the pages of this book is a look into what this man has done with his public and professional life. It is a book about a private man. And he will tell you that when you need to hear it. Early in his career, it was written that "a secret of Steve Martin's success is making a huge point out of never leaving well enough alone." He will also offer you a look behind the curtain when he thinks you need, or when you don't need it, or if it is funny. Here we have the portrait of a renaissance man who refuses to sit for the portrait, but challenges you to paint it as he sprints through your studio.
Often we ask questions. As interviewers, questions are often asked with an expected answer. We have seen this with the banality of late night talk shows who love everyone and everything is great. With Steve Martin, the conductors of these interviews are always masterfully guided to ask a better question, a question that will indeed exceed the readers' expectations. He guides the interviews to the depths of his soul, while maintaining his privacy and dignity. He taught one interviewer that "talking about personal parts of your life cheapens them, I think. I collect art, but I'd rather not talk about that." He will tell you of the heartbreaks of his early career and the joys of some of his greatest cinematic achievements. He will tell you that John Candy was the best kisser he has ever had on screen, and that he was scared when he wrote Roxanne. He will tell you that he has compassion for the disadvantaged, and that he finds fraternity with the other great men of his craft. In none of this does he resort to platitudes and Hollywoodspeak. In these pages is a genuine man that will challenge you to be genuine in your own right. Through his erudition, struggle and limitless desire to be funny and growing, we as the readers are challenged to look at ourselves, to look at our motivations and prejudices and become a better person. Through this, we become artists with all of the world as a canvas that challenges all to achieve their highest potential in many different areas of life.
Sorry to spoil it, but Steve Martin can make you a better person through his words. He can show you how to look at life and ring out every bit of nectar through perseverance and desire to be really good at something - or many things.
What we have on the pages of this book is a look into what this man has done with his public and professional life. It is a book about a private man. And he will tell you that when you need to hear it. Early in his career, it was written that "a secret of Steve Martin's success is making a huge point out of never leaving well enough alone." He will also offer you a look behind the curtain when he thinks you need, or when you don't need it, or if it is funny. Here we have the portrait of a renaissance man who refuses to sit for the portrait, but challenges you to paint it as he sprints through your studio.
Often we ask questions. As interviewers, questions are often asked with an expected answer. We have seen this with the banality of late night talk shows who love everyone and everything is great. With Steve Martin, the conductors of these interviews are always masterfully guided to ask a better question, a question that will indeed exceed the readers' expectations. He guides the interviews to the depths of his soul, while maintaining his privacy and dignity. He taught one interviewer that "talking about personal parts of your life cheapens them, I think. I collect art, but I'd rather not talk about that." He will tell you of the heartbreaks of his early career and the joys of some of his greatest cinematic achievements. He will tell you that John Candy was the best kisser he has ever had on screen, and that he was scared when he wrote Roxanne. He will tell you that he has compassion for the disadvantaged, and that he finds fraternity with the other great men of his craft. In none of this does he resort to platitudes and Hollywoodspeak. In these pages is a genuine man that will challenge you to be genuine in your own right. Through his erudition, struggle and limitless desire to be funny and growing, we as the readers are challenged to look at ourselves, to look at our motivations and prejudices and become a better person. Through this, we become artists with all of the world as a canvas that challenges all to achieve their highest potential in many different areas of life.
Sorry to spoil it, but Steve Martin can make you a better person through his words. He can show you how to look at life and ring out every bit of nectar through perseverance and desire to be really good at something - or many things.
August 17, 2014
This sounded interesting when I requested it from NetGalley and I read a fair amount before giving up.
There is an introduction that gives a brief overview of Steve Martin's life and career so far, but the bulk of the book is a carefully curated collection of previously published and/or transcribed interviews.
For the average reader it is very disconcerting to read unedited, transcription from live interviews where thoughts are not always finished and people interrupt each other.
The other problem, for me, was the repetition of certain aspects of Martin's career with each new interview.
This isn't a book to sit down and read like a biography so the fact that I am not finishing it should not discourage readers who really want to learn about Martin this way. Just be sure you understand what this compilation of articles is and does.
There is an introduction that gives a brief overview of Steve Martin's life and career so far, but the bulk of the book is a carefully curated collection of previously published and/or transcribed interviews.
For the average reader it is very disconcerting to read unedited, transcription from live interviews where thoughts are not always finished and people interrupt each other.
The other problem, for me, was the repetition of certain aspects of Martin's career with each new interview.
This isn't a book to sit down and read like a biography so the fact that I am not finishing it should not discourage readers who really want to learn about Martin this way. Just be sure you understand what this compilation of articles is and does.
July 22, 2014
I received this book for Net-Galley for an honest opinion.
I really thought this book was kind of boring, it repeated the same thing pretty much through out the book. These are just conversations of interviews and articles written over the years, but they pretty much repeat the same thing. The newest conversation was the most interesting as was the one done with Playboy.
What I did like was the fact it makes me want to see his movies again, I haven't seen them in a long time.
I wish there were more to it, just the same thing repeated through out the book.
I really thought this book was kind of boring, it repeated the same thing pretty much through out the book. These are just conversations of interviews and articles written over the years, but they pretty much repeat the same thing. The newest conversation was the most interesting as was the one done with Playboy.
What I did like was the fact it makes me want to see his movies again, I haven't seen them in a long time.
I wish there were more to it, just the same thing repeated through out the book.
August 5, 2014
I learned a lot about Steve Martin that just never occurred to me. I honestly just saw him as a wonderful actor but he has dabbled in a lot of different things. A lot of the information from varies sources is nice to be combined into one book. I enjoyed reading about his life and how things came about. This book really makes me think about all that he has accomplished. He will be known as an icon if many don't already think so. On the down side this book was extremely long.
July 25, 2014
I have to say that I am a huge Steve Martin fan. This book just didn't do him justice. I was bored from the beginning and felt like everything was kind of thrown together.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews