- Paperback: 198 pages
- Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux (13 Dec 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0374530181
- ISBN-13: 978-0374530181
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.7 x 1.5 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 585,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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It was the dog who raised me. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
It was the dog who raised me. Read the first page
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6 reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Cutty, One Rock is the real deal and totally JERSEY
13 Jan 2005
Format:Hardcover
Being a native from Fort Lee New Jersey I can only say that this fine writer has captured the essence of life here atop the rocky cliffs of the Palisades. Fort Lee and Jersey in general is not just a place but a place of mind and once in your blood it becomes a part of you no matter where you dwell or travel. Of course, this work is about a family and a life and covers much ground so there is more to it than just Fort Lee. This is a book that speaks to all of us no matter where we live since it, in the end, is about human nature and the sense of humor we need to survive. All I can add is that I hope Auggie comes home again to Fort Lee so we can buy him a Cutty, one rock at In Napoli's or JD's on Main Street, or maybe the Villa Amalfi since it was once Joe's Elbow Room.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Keep Those Essays Coming Poet Barkeep!
27 April 2005
Format:Hardcover
"Cutty, One Rock" by poet August Kleinzahler is a memoir that begins with his childhood in Fort Lee, New Jersey. "It was the dog who raised me. Oh, the others came and went with their nurturing gestures and concerns, but it was the dog on whose ear I teethed and who watched me through countless hours with sagacity and bearing of a Ugandan tribal chief." Yes these recollections are often quirky, but also contain many laugh-out loud passages. Kleinzahler describes his Mafia-dominated suburb as, "a theme park for Tourette's syndrome." And with deadpan humor he complains about one Mafia neighbor, "It wasn't very considerate of him to kill our plumber, Mr. Ferri. Reliable plumbers are hard to come by."
However, the essay about the myth of Eros seems out of place among this collection. The scholarly take is often pedantic; the author cites classic love poems and knowledge as if to fulfill a page requirement for a class paper. The reader is handed a bouquet of flowery facts that look nice, but add no real depth to understand the notion of Eros.
Kleinzahler's title piece, "Cutty, One Rock," is easily his best work. The author recalls the double life of his older brother, a banker by day and gay hustler by night. "He was born wild, born troubled." Humor and sadness commingle in a stellar, brutally honest essay.
Overall, the memoir, "Cutty, One Rock," will move the coldest of hearts as unconventional lives are examined with dignity.
Bohdan Kot
However, the essay about the myth of Eros seems out of place among this collection. The scholarly take is often pedantic; the author cites classic love poems and knowledge as if to fulfill a page requirement for a class paper. The reader is handed a bouquet of flowery facts that look nice, but add no real depth to understand the notion of Eros.
Kleinzahler's title piece, "Cutty, One Rock," is easily his best work. The author recalls the double life of his older brother, a banker by day and gay hustler by night. "He was born wild, born troubled." Humor and sadness commingle in a stellar, brutally honest essay.
Overall, the memoir, "Cutty, One Rock," will move the coldest of hearts as unconventional lives are examined with dignity.
Bohdan Kot
3 of 7 people found the following review helpful
mixed bag of tricks.
16 Mar 2007
Format:Paperback
first, the good: the vignettes about the author's relationships with the two poets thom gunn and allen ginsberg are highly readable, very enjoyable. also, the pieces about his family are finely done. "cutty, one rock," which is the last piece in the book, is about his troubled brother who committed suicide, and is the real standout in the whole book. now, the bad: mr kleinzahler's personality, in particular. this author really seems to look down on people for not sharing his views or tastes. he comes off in the end as someone i would not at all like to know. a windbag of big literary theories and heady words. someone who would like the beauty of pink floyds "dark side of the moon" removed from our earth and replaced by the screeching atonal noises of albert ayler. now, nothing wrong with mr kleinzahler not liking pink floyd, the trouble is, just because he doesn't like someone or something, he truly believes that makes it bad. his judgement, and his alone, should be writ large throughout the firmament and declared final on any and all matters he should choose to spew his brilliance upon. so mr kleinzahler seems to think. here's robert pinsky (3 time poet laureate of the united states) on garrison keillor: "it's revealing to me to hear garrison keillor read a poem aloud on writer's almanac. you hear garrison read a poem and you say, this man UNDERSTANDS poetry. you don't have to hear him yak about it. you can hear the understanding in his voice." now, here's august kleinzahler on mr keillor: "everything that comes out of his mouth in that treacly baritone...is a sermon. the homily runs something like this: we are good, if foolish and weak, and may gain redemption through compassion, laughing at ourselves, and bad poetry badly read." so who is right here? pinsky or kleinzahler? who cares? not me, really. the trouble is that throughout this book, kleinzahler has such an intellectually snotty attitude towards the tastes and ways of others, that upon closing his book, one thinks: glad i am done with that guy. won't be going back there.
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