"Well before Beckett or Pinter," writes James R. Mellow in his new introduction here, "Stein immobilized her characters in talk, talk, talk." Whether or not the average reader will want to embark upon the particularly whimsical yet radically demanding journey of Stein's Operas and Plays may not be the real question; but if the desire were there, its fulfillment would now once again be possible. Stein self-published the Operas and Plays in 1932 in Paris (in the famous Plain Edition), and the extreme rarity of that book has until now made it very nearly inaccessible to readers. Here once again are the dramatic works of Stein from the well-known 1927 "Four Saints In Three Acts" (done with music by Virgil Thomson) on through 20 other pieces including, for example, "Saints And Singing" (1922), "Civilization" (1931) and "Say It With Flowers" (1931) and "A Movie" (1920). A welcome republication whether for the curious browser, the common reader, or the scholar of this stubborn, resilient, controversial, influential and often wonderfully amusing American genius: "Can you love all of the painting, can you love a little Christ. Can you love the roar of weasels can you love the little wife. I do see what makes me thunder when the words are not repressed. I do love the little Jesus I do really love him best. You mean of all the pictures. Yes I mean of all the pictures." ("Reread Another," 1921).
Pub Date: April 3, 1987
ISBN: 1886449163
Page Count: 410
Publisher: Station Hill
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1987
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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