Starting a new book: John Leonard's 1993 collection of essays, The Last Innocent White Man in America and
other writings
Introduction
In this introduction, Leonard both intimidates and sucks you
in with his dizzying dance through a history of great fiction. Although a very
versatile critic (writing and delivering commentaries about politics,
television, books, movies, media…), it’s clear that this collection will place
his cultural commentary in the context of great novels:
…you will see me waving the name of some writer.
Instead of the usual suspects at the State Department, Heritage Foundation…and
the Rand Corporation, the dopesters, pollsters, think-tank rent-an-academics,
ministers of mystification and doctors of spin…I call up writers – for witness,
and scruples and laughs. Books are my Rolodex.
Also, anyone who can lead off a paragraph with the line “Late
this summer, while watching on C-SPAN the Republican festival of hatred for
(and denial of) anybody who was different…” is worth reading more of. So, one essay a day.
New learning: Great quote and something new about Bill
Clinton, “To me, the most interesting thing so far about Bill Clinton, besides
Hillary, is his professional admiration for Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude.”…which,
by the way has the best opening line of all time.
New word: paratax = a writing technique that favors short,
simple sentences
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