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Making an Elephant
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'A rewarding collection, with the same humanity and flair for detail that distinguishes Swift's fiction.'
--TLS
'Engrossing'
--International Herald Tribune
--TLS
'Engrossing'
--International Herald Tribune
Review
'His writing at its wry best.'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Every so often, a publisher will amass a collection of eclectic pieces by one of their novelists. They usually do this in the desert between the last paperback and the next hardback novel. These can often prove a disappointment to me because I've either read most of the pieces before or they're a messy, scrappy collection of this and that.
Not so here. Graham Swift is one of those thoughtful novelists who is short on output but long on quality and who publishes in journals I don't come across in my daily life. This volume is a well thought-out selection of autobiographical pieces, articles about the art and craft of writing and insights into other writers, living and dead. Arranged into a loose time sequence with insightful introductions by the author, I was able to gain a glimpse into the mind of the writer and, as they say in that awful phrase 'where he's coming from.' Two pieces stood out for me. The title article about the author's father and the piece about the filming of Last Orders.
I have always considered Swift a man's writer and the pieces about other writers (none of them women) were indeed a bit too 'blokey' for me as was the whiff of that male-only self-importance of being 'a writer.' (Thank goodness for the self-deprecation in the piece about the Booker Prize.) I found these less engaging than the autobiographical and topographical pieces which were fresher, better-written and full of insight and humanity. The inclusion of the poetry, however, I felt, was a mistake and only proved that a good novelist is not always a good poet. My favourite pieces were those where Swift forgot he was a 'Writer' (with a capital W) and revealed himself as someone who writes with a keen eye and a human heart.
Not so here. Graham Swift is one of those thoughtful novelists who is short on output but long on quality and who publishes in journals I don't come across in my daily life. This volume is a well thought-out selection of autobiographical pieces, articles about the art and craft of writing and insights into other writers, living and dead. Arranged into a loose time sequence with insightful introductions by the author, I was able to gain a glimpse into the mind of the writer and, as they say in that awful phrase 'where he's coming from.' Two pieces stood out for me. The title article about the author's father and the piece about the filming of Last Orders.
I have always considered Swift a man's writer and the pieces about other writers (none of them women) were indeed a bit too 'blokey' for me as was the whiff of that male-only self-importance of being 'a writer.' (Thank goodness for the self-deprecation in the piece about the Booker Prize.) I found these less engaging than the autobiographical and topographical pieces which were fresher, better-written and full of insight and humanity. The inclusion of the poetry, however, I felt, was a mistake and only proved that a good novelist is not always a good poet. My favourite pieces were those where Swift forgot he was a 'Writer' (with a capital W) and revealed himself as someone who writes with a keen eye and a human heart.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I came to this book never having read any of Graham Swift's novels (most famous being Waterland and Last Orders). That probably puts me in a minority, since I had no particular prior opinions of the author, but having heard that this book was a collection of short non-fiction essays and reflections on writing was enough to intrigue me. I'd say that it is indeed accessible to others who, like me, haven't read Swift's novels and may even inspire people to read them - though I should warn you that, since it includes some discussions of some of his books there may be spoilers.
This collection consists of essays, interviews, biographical pieces and poems. The poems, as others have said, aren't really up to much - to be honest, I only read a few. The rest, however, was generally interesting, although obviously the various parts will appeal to different readers. Swift describes interactions he's had with a number of others, including fellow authors and behind the scenes types like publishers. Personally, I found the episode with Kazuo Ishiguro most interesting, because he's an author I do know and there's some discussion of The Remains of the Day.
Even without caring particularly about Swift's past, I found the biographical parts of the work still held my attention. Perhaps it's just that they're well-written and convey a human element. It's also interesting to read about how a writer goes about writing, though Swift emphasizes that he's only offering his personal approach - not claiming to be typical or offering a 'how to' model for aspiring authors. In his case, for example, he makes clear that his writing isn't autobiographical or drawn from life, but entirely fictional.
What I found particularly interesting were Swift's reflections on the purposes of fiction, which first emerge in the opening piece (a discussion of two of his earliest memories: polio vaccination and meeting Santa) and are further developed in a lecture 'I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside,' in which he observes that fiction must exist at the borderline of reality and helps us to understand what it's like to be someone or somewhere else.
The pieces are generally short (10-15 pages or so mostly, usually preceded by brief introductions setting the context), so it's easy to dip in and out as your mood and inclination take you. It's not essential to read them all, although for the most part they follow a chronological development so maybe something's added if you read them in order. I assume this collection would be of interest to many enthusiasts for Swift's novels, but I can certainly vouch for the fact that parts of it at least can appeal to literature buffs with no knowledge of the author - and that to me marks it out as a good read.
This collection consists of essays, interviews, biographical pieces and poems. The poems, as others have said, aren't really up to much - to be honest, I only read a few. The rest, however, was generally interesting, although obviously the various parts will appeal to different readers. Swift describes interactions he's had with a number of others, including fellow authors and behind the scenes types like publishers. Personally, I found the episode with Kazuo Ishiguro most interesting, because he's an author I do know and there's some discussion of The Remains of the Day.
Even without caring particularly about Swift's past, I found the biographical parts of the work still held my attention. Perhaps it's just that they're well-written and convey a human element. It's also interesting to read about how a writer goes about writing, though Swift emphasizes that he's only offering his personal approach - not claiming to be typical or offering a 'how to' model for aspiring authors. In his case, for example, he makes clear that his writing isn't autobiographical or drawn from life, but entirely fictional.
What I found particularly interesting were Swift's reflections on the purposes of fiction, which first emerge in the opening piece (a discussion of two of his earliest memories: polio vaccination and meeting Santa) and are further developed in a lecture 'I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside,' in which he observes that fiction must exist at the borderline of reality and helps us to understand what it's like to be someone or somewhere else.
The pieces are generally short (10-15 pages or so mostly, usually preceded by brief introductions setting the context), so it's easy to dip in and out as your mood and inclination take you. It's not essential to read them all, although for the most part they follow a chronological development so maybe something's added if you read them in order. I assume this collection would be of interest to many enthusiasts for Swift's novels, but I can certainly vouch for the fact that parts of it at least can appeal to literature buffs with no knowledge of the author - and that to me marks it out as a good read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I found Graham Swift's recently published collection of essays and poetry an interesting but rather light read. It reminded me of some of Paul Auster's essay collections, but it lacks a focus: Auster's essays all seem to pull together in the same direction towards a unifying theme, whereas these seem to have been almost randomly pulled together without direction.
The recollections and interviews are of varying degrees of interest to me - his memories of his father were very touching, and the details invoked struck a chord; small, personal touches that stayed with the writer in the strange way that they tend to.
The interviews seemed to me to be a bit less worthwhile of inclusion, and of interest only to the die-hard completists and fans of those being interviewed.
I've heard Graham on the radio from time to time, and he has a gentle - almost self-effacing - way of speaking his mind. Most of what he says I find myself agreeing with, whilst at the same time not being particularly excited by the actual content, and the same applies to this book - he writes a lot of sense, and the reader is afforded an insight into his inner goings-on, but I finished the book having bypassed two or three pieces which I found simply of too little consequence to finish - if this book was a stew, I'd be slightly irritated by the lack of tasty bits of meat in it - there's too much here that seems to be straight out of the trunk.
Having said that, I enjoyed his only piece of reportage very much, as he recounts his adventures trying to locate the Czech writer Jiri Wolf in 1989 - a vivid and strangely uplifting account that combines menace and chaos in just the right way to really pinpoint what it was like over there then.
Sometimes his eye for detail reveals little gems of truth in the most unlikely places. His voice comes through in these pieces, and taken as a whole, I enjoyed the book with a few reservation involved: If I had finished it feeling like I had really learned something I would have given it 4 stars (I ordered this book thinking that it would have more essays about the process of writing than it did), but I didn't feel like that, unfortunately for me... So 3 will have to do.
The recollections and interviews are of varying degrees of interest to me - his memories of his father were very touching, and the details invoked struck a chord; small, personal touches that stayed with the writer in the strange way that they tend to.
The interviews seemed to me to be a bit less worthwhile of inclusion, and of interest only to the die-hard completists and fans of those being interviewed.
I've heard Graham on the radio from time to time, and he has a gentle - almost self-effacing - way of speaking his mind. Most of what he says I find myself agreeing with, whilst at the same time not being particularly excited by the actual content, and the same applies to this book - he writes a lot of sense, and the reader is afforded an insight into his inner goings-on, but I finished the book having bypassed two or three pieces which I found simply of too little consequence to finish - if this book was a stew, I'd be slightly irritated by the lack of tasty bits of meat in it - there's too much here that seems to be straight out of the trunk.
Having said that, I enjoyed his only piece of reportage very much, as he recounts his adventures trying to locate the Czech writer Jiri Wolf in 1989 - a vivid and strangely uplifting account that combines menace and chaos in just the right way to really pinpoint what it was like over there then.
Sometimes his eye for detail reveals little gems of truth in the most unlikely places. His voice comes through in these pieces, and taken as a whole, I enjoyed the book with a few reservation involved: If I had finished it feeling like I had really learned something I would have given it 4 stars (I ordered this book thinking that it would have more essays about the process of writing than it did), but I didn't feel like that, unfortunately for me... So 3 will have to do.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Beautiful
It's rare for an author to write so frankly about their writing process and experiences. This book is a beautifully written insight into a master craftsman's process. Read more
Published 12 months ago by lizzibeth
never arrived...
The book I had ordered (and paid for) never arrived at the given address. When I sent an email, I was answered that the weather conditions could have delayed the delivery (by more... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Isabelle Roblin
A strange beast....
A strange beast....
This is a collection of articles concerning Swift's childhood and early life, his literary associations (Ishiguro, Rushdie, Ted Hughes.... Read more
This is a collection of articles concerning Swift's childhood and early life, his literary associations (Ishiguro, Rushdie, Ted Hughes.... Read more
Published on 16 Oct 2009 by stevieby
Why make an elephant?
Graham Swift is an award-winning fiction writer. Several of his books have been put onto the big screen. He has been writing for over thirty years. Read more
Published on 7 Oct 2009 by P. McCauley
About as cumbersome as an elephant!
When I bored after a mere three chapters of this book, I knew it didn't bode well. As somebody who enjoys a spot of writing herself, I was looking forward to reading about the... Read more
Published on 24 July 2009 by H Pedder
Ho hum....
I've enjoyed three of Swift's novels, and I love reading what writers have to say about writing, but somehow this collection of essays and memorabilia didn't really engage me. Read more
Published on 14 July 2009 by EmmaH
A mixed bag
Overall this collection of non-fiction, essays, poems and reportage did very little for me but there were glimmers of more appealing sections here and there. Read more
Published on 5 July 2009 by doublegone
A substantial book
Recommended to anyone who likes Swift's books, or just anyone who'd appreciate a rich anthology of good writing.
Published on 19 Jun 2009 by Andrew Sutherland
The writer and the man
In this collection of short non-fiction pieces, Booker prizewinner Graham Swift aims to do two things as described in his Introduction; they are to reveal something of himself, and... Read more
Published on 4 Jun 2009 by Adam Brooks
Not my style.
I got this book thinking that it would be in the same style as Julian Barnes (for some reason!) but found that it wasn't and didn't really enjoy it.
Published on 21 May 2009 by P. A. Smith
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