The Prince Of Minor Writers

(Paperback, Main)

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AN NYRB CLASSICS ORIGINAL Called by Virginia Woolf "the prince" of essayists and praised by F. W. Dupee for a "whim of iron, cleverness amounting to genius," Max Beerbohm himself noted that "only the insane take themselves quite seriously." Nonetheless, from his precocious debut as a dandy in 1890s Oxford until, after World War II, when he put the pen aside, Beerbohm was recognized as an incomparable observer of modern life and an essayist whose voice was always and only his own. Here Phillip Lopate, one of the finest essayists of our day, has selected the finest of Beerbohm's essays. Whether writing about the vogue for Russian writers, laughter and philosophy, dandies, or George Bernard Shaw, Beerbohm is as unpredictable as he is unfailingly witty and wise. As Lopate writes, "Today...it becomes all the more necessary to ponder how Beerbohm performed the delicate operation of displaying so much personality without lapsing into sticky confession."

Reviews

"As curmudgeons go, Beerbohm was a gentle and self-effacing one. There are very funny broadsides here against walking, against the cult of children, against writing boring letters and against literary toadyism...an intimate kind of warmth does blossom beneath the surface of many of these pieces; he is a man with a full and rippling heart." Dwight Garner, The New York Times

The great Max Beerbohm may be the paradigm of the minor writer and the happy man. In other words: Max Beerbohm was a good and gracious soul.Roberto Bolao, Between Parentheses

"The essayist and caricaturist Max Beerbohm was one of the great figures of the late Victorian and Edwardian era in London...People who love reading will always love reading Max, because he mocked so wisely, and read so well." Adam Gopnik,The New Yorker

Beerbohms prose styleclever, fast-paced, and sometimes on the verge of anarchybalances humor with style, and provides a master class in using ironythe greatest weapon in Beerbohms arsenalto look at high culture.Jason Diamond, Flavorwire

[Beerbohms] works provide a glimpse of daily life in the 19th and early 20th centuries, revealing that while manners and dress have evolved, human nature certainly has not...Beerbohms essays deserve to be revisited today...his writing is humorous and self-deprecating. Publishers Weekly

Beerbohm never ceases to entertain with the eloquence of his prose and his dry humor. In a trite, yet appropriate, phrase, he is a master of his craft. His words are beautiful and his thoughts are oftentimes quite profound and universal, relevant not just to late nineteenth/early twentieth century Britain, but to all timesHis writing always feels fresh and its essence trueBeerbohm holds an insatiable imagination Rescue it, read it, and treasure it. Kenyon Ellefson, Portland Book Review

Author Bio

Max Beerbohm (1872-1956) was an English caricaturist and writer known for his sophisticated drawings and parodies capturing the famous and fashionable of his day. While working for his brother's theatrical company as a young man, Beerbohm penned and published witty essays for which he gained widespread recognition and eventually succeeded George Bernard Shaw as the drama critic for the Saturday Review. In 1910, Beerbohm settled in Rapallo, Italy, and lived there for the rest of his life. His 1911 novel, 'Zuleika Dobson,' is included in Modern Library's list of the 100 Best Novels. Phillip Lopate is the author of the essay collections Against Joie de Vivre, Bachelorhood, Being with Children, Portrait of My Body, and Totally, Tenderly, Tragically, and of the novels The Rug Merchant and Confessions of a Summer. He lives in New York City.