Life As a Literary Device: A Writer's Manual of Survival

by Vitali Vitaliev

Vitali Vitaliev is the Ukranian-born author, poet and journalist whose life has been spent exploring the curious, the unusual and the plain dotty manifestations of human life around the world.
In this honest memoir, Vitaliev describes how on many occasions in his life, words have provided him with the means of the words of great writers from Mikhail Bulgakov to George Orwell; the words of writer friends such as Peter Ustinov and Joseph Heller; the words of his mother, of his children. He references his own writing too, with memories of creative assignments all over the globe, recalling the voices of people he as met and the impressions they made on him.

568 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Born in 1954.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitali_V...

Reviews

[Jane Ayres · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Reading it was a wonderful springboard for me. The author's comment, "I dread unlimited choices, which to me can be almost as baffling as no choice at all," really resonated as making choices is at the heart of the craft and philosophy of creative writing.

I enjoyed the way the book is structured, moving back and forth in time, and having my intellect stimulated.

I also loved the survival tips, which were interesting and thought-provoking. One of these suggests re-reading familiar books from childhood, which can be calming and reassuring at low points. How true. This form of bibliotherapy rekindles happy memories and nostalgic thoughts, as we also associate the actual text we are re-reading with the circumstances in which it was read. I count myself lucky that my dearly loved, late, mother used to read to my brother and I when we were very young, while we were snuggled up in bed, and this helped to nurture my love of books, leading to many hours spent reading under the covers by torchlight when the rest of the house was asleep.

I liked the advice "Relax about tomorrow and just see it as gathering information for your survivor's guide." Yes, life is a survivor's guide, a giant research project, as we accrue the knowledge and experience that will guide us on the journey

[Ian Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of the author before. So glad I picked this up. Fascinating account of snatches of his life written in short paragraphs that amuse and capture the imagination. His writing is excellent and I was immediately charmed by him.