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THE PUSHCART PRIZE 2008

Name: THE PUSHCART PRIZE 2008
Author: Bill Henderson
ISBN: 978-1-888889-48-2

BEST OF THE SMALL PRESSES

edited by Bill Henderson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2007

A mixed bag, as with all Pushcart volumes. But mostly good, and with plenty of bang for the buck.

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Still published from a garden shed, the venerable small-press anthology turns 32.

“We children of the spirit are yesterday’s news, if we ever were news,” laments founding editor and tutelary spirit Henderson (Tower: Faith, Vertigo, and Amateur Construction, 2000, etc.), who mourns the loss of Pushcart’s managing editor and mascot dog in 2007. He might be comforted by the thought that he has helped nourish many a literary career, even if the biggest news is not likely to come from the main run of his contributors, who bear MFAs and teach at universities and colleges throughout the land. They also seem a touch less diverse, culturally speaking, than those of years past, but they provide many pleasures here all the same. Paul Zimmer muses on the teachings of the medieval Cathars: “If you imagine hearing music when the moon is full, you might consider turning a few circles in its light.” Melanie Rae Thon provides an evocative story about yet another tragedy on an Indian reservation. David Kirby’s wonderful poem, “Skinny-Dipping with Pat Nixon,” features a wicked aside on Laura Bush’s recent National Book Festival: “if you have too many writers at a book festival / people get the wrong idea.” Herbert Gold offers wounded reminiscences about the habitually wounding Saul Bellow. The collection even boasts a brief, lyrical poem by Robert Bly, whose once-legendary output has tapered in old age. There are a few dubious moments, too: stories too steeped in urban tough guy-isms and potty-mouthery to be seemly for nice Iowa grads, a few pieces of mundanely world-weary poetry, a long so-what rambling on pianist Glenn Gould.

A mixed bag, as with all Pushcart volumes. But mostly good, and with plenty of bang for the buck.

Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-1-888889-48-2

Page Count: 624

Publisher: Pushcart

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2007

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PUSHCART PRIZE XLIX
edited by Bill Henderson with Pushcart Prize editors

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PUSHCART PRIZE XLVIII
edited by Bill Henderson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PUSHCART PRIZE XLVII
edited by Bill Henderson

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.