| v | Margaret Finkner
|
ReadingsBirkerts, Sven. Readings. St. Paul, Minn. : Graywolf Press, 1999. 263p. Readings is Birkerts' newest collection of essays, and contains essays on Rilke, Lowell and Bishop among others. Readings also includes pieces on Birkerts' disappointment and disillusion that stems from, what he considers, the destruction of the written word because of the internet. It seems as though Birkerts is set in his ways. He obviously does not like the internet, nor does he appreciate many other forms of modern technology. His anger is almost startling in its brashness.
"Roth, Mailer, Bellow Running Out of Gas"Birkerts, Sven. "Roth, Mailer, Bellow Running Out of Gas." The New York Observer. October 13, 1997 Online. Available: <http://www.smallbytes.net/~bobkat/observer2.html> (24 October 2000) Birkerts writes in response to the new novels of Roth, Mailer and Bellow. The commentary is an example of Birkerts' disillusionment at the famous writers "running out of gas," as the title says. Birkerts is a fine writer, which is evident in his review in the New York Observer. He uses "newer authors" such as Pynchon to illustrate his point and frustrations with authors who seem to run out of steam later on in their careers. Again, as with his texts pertaining to the internet, Birkerts is not afraid to show that he is upset at these authors.
"The Alchemist's Retort: A Multi-Layered Postmodern Saga of Damnation and Salvation" Birkerts, Sven. "The Alchemist's
Retort: A Multi-Layered Postmodern Sagaof Damnation and Salvation." The
Atlantic Monthly. February, 1996. Online. Available: <http://www.smallbytes.net/~bobkat/jest1a.html>
(24 October 2000) Birkerts appears to believe in Wallace's talents, offering several quotes from the book as evidence of the high quality of writing. Wallace's ideas and plot lines seem to appeal to Birkerts. Again, Birkerts refers to Pynchon as an elder of Wallace.
"Only God Can Make a Tree: The Joys and Sorrows of Ecocriticism"Birkerts, Sven. "Only God Can Make a Tree: The Joys and Sorrows of Ecocriticism." The Boston Book Review 3.1. Nov/Dec 1996. Online. Available: <http://www.asle.umn.edu/archive/intro/birkerts.html> (15 October 2000) An article that originally appeared in The Boston Book Review which focuses on the creation and validity of the newly coined term ecocriticism. One of the editors of a book entitled Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology, Cheryll Glotfelty, says that, "Simply put, ecocriticism is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment." It's an interesting idea, but I understand Birkerts' hesitation to accept a new "ism" as he calls it; it seems as though new "isms" appear every hour or so.
Tolstoy's Dictaphone: Technology and the MuseBirkerts, Sven, ed. Tolstoy's Dictaphone: Technology and the Muse. St. Paul, MN : Graywolf Press,1996. 261p. Birkerts edits this collection of essays that again focus on technology. The essays are not limited to the internet, however, and also contain pieces about telephones and electronic media. It is possible that by this collection of essays, Birkerts has succeeded in letting people know about everything electronic that he hates. Though this time, he has others to join him in his fight.
"A Meditation on the Fate of Books in an Impatient Age" Birkerts, Sven. "A Meditation on
the Fate of Books in an Impatient Age." In this lecture, Birkerts examines the novel itself and the process of reading with the help of, among other things, essays by Krystal (who is "vexed" about the non-interest in books) and Updike. Birkerts is an extremely good writer whose love of literature is blatantly obvious. His observations that reading literature is not what it used to be are rather disheartening. Whether or not one believes that Birkerts is correct in his assumptions that the written page is dying because of the electronic page, it is still somewhat depressing to read Birkerts' accounts of the situation. He makes it seem as though there is no hope of written work having the mass popularity that it once did.
The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic AgeBirkerts, Sven. The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age. Boston/London: Faber and Faber, 1994. 231p. Possibly Sven Birkerts' most famous work, this collection of essays focuses on the movement from the written page to work written for the internet. Birkerts is an avid opponent of the new emergence of publishing and writing for the internet. Birkerts' collection of essays is important in its deliberate and obvious disdain for the internet. The collection, which explains Birkerts' views and opinions, was one of the first important opponents in the debate concerning the electronic literature age. It seems as though the internet is all around these days, and perhaps we forget that some do not use the internet, and others, such as Birkerts, loathe it.
American Energies: Essays on FictionBirkerts, Sven. American Energies: Essays on Fiction. New York: Morrow, 1992. 413p. This three part book of essays focuses on contemporary American fiction and includes essays on Mailer and Pynchon. It is no longer in print.
The Electric Life: Essays on Modern PoetryBirkerts, Sven. The Electric Life: Essays on Modern Poetry. New York: Morrow, 1989. This book of essays is no longer in print.
An Artificial Wilderness: Essays on 20th Century LiteratureBirkerts, Sven. An Artificial Wilderness: Essays on 20th Century Literature New York : Morrow, 1987. 430p. An Artificial Wilderness contains essays written by Birkerts that have appeared in various periodicals such as The Nation, The New Republic, and The Iowa Review. The book, which is divided into five parts, is no longer in print.
|