- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; Rev. Ed edition (25 Oct 1990)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140120815
- ISBN-13: 978-0140120813
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,320,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Outlining the delights of reading, the author tells of what mass education has done to readers, to taste, to books and to culture. The book covers writers from various countries and old and recently-published books, both well-known and obscure. From the author of "What's Bred in the Bone".
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Oh, yes. This is a wonderful look at a side of the man only matched by Samuel Marchbanks. Not only does he comment on books and authors with cinicism and arrogance but manages to do so without losing the reader (at least it was so in my case). This is not a book for the sentimental book lover but a sturdy piece for the hardy. And all things said, if you get through it without bursting you'll go there again.
0 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
SIMPLY PUT A WASTE OF OUR ENERGY
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Thoughtful and engaging
3 Dec 2000
Format:Paperback
This book is an extrememly thoughtful commentary on the nature of reading and what it means to be a bibliophile, especially in today's age. It can come across as somewhat stuffy and self-important, but Robertson Davies' thoughts and opinions are varied and resonating enough to overcome that. He doesn't capitulate to the lowest common denominator, or present reading as a pursuit only worthwhile if one reads a predetermined list of "great books". his chapter on humour and comedic writing throughout the ages is priceless. It isn't a book for everyone, but it's a welcome relief from the endless parade of critics who typecast the typical reader as "nobody' if they haven't read a set list of prerequisite books.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
An impassioned plea for better readers
18 Feb 2003
Format:Paperback
Although billed as a collection, this series of essays holds its own as an extended monologue. Davies, as erudite a reader and writer as you will ever discover, is not for the faint of head. In his argument here, he attempts to describe why reading--intense, concentrated reading--can be valued as art. The likely argument against this idea is that reading is not an act of creation, which art aspires to. He quickly deflates that argument with a description of reading that could apply just as well to performance art.
Although some of the writers he mentions here will likely be unknown to modern readers (they were certainly unusual to me), the points he makes are universal. We are in need of this even more today than when it was written.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A foundation for understanding the evolution of modern literature
13 May 2008
Format:Paperback
This book is great. Davies has provided a witty piece of literary criticism that informs the reader about avenues of literary bliss they would likely never have heard of anywhere else. I'm not a Canadian, but I didn't feel he dwelt excessively on topics of specific interest to Canadians. What he did do was point me in the direction of literary genres that are treasure troves of novel reading material, in which one can find the basic storylines and devices that still form the "meat and potatoes" of modern fiction, visible in everything from Tommy Boy to Phillip K. Dick. Personally, the most valuable thing I've taken from "Voice" is an interest in reading plays, and, in particular, pantomimes and drawing room plays. By pointing out that our current culture is ignoring volumes of great literature just because it isn't "current", Davies isn't criticizing todays authors or being stuffy in the least. He's merely pointing the way to an immensely valuable reservoir of work that is ours to appreciate or abandon.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
