How Literature Saved My Life
How Literature Saved My Life by David Shields, published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2013, is a thought-provoking exploration of the relationship between literature and personal experience. In this 207-page work, Shields uses his own life as a lens through which he examines the profound impact of reading and writing. The book blends elements of confessional criticism and autobiography, presenting a narrative that resists straightforward interpretation while engaging with a variety of literary influences.
Readers will find a candid reflection on the power of literature to provide solace and understanding in the face of life’s challenges. Shields delves into his own complexities and ambivalences, illustrating how books serve as both a refuge and a source of frustration. He discusses a range of literary works, from Pascal to Proust, and contemplates the role of literature in addressing human loneliness. This edition invites readers to engage with the essential acts of reading and writing in a unique and original manner.
Official synopsis Publisher
“Reading “How Literature Saved My Life “is like getting to listen in on a really great, smart, provocative conversation. The book is not straightforward, it resists any single interpretation, and it seems to me to constitute nothing less than a new form.” –Whitney Otto
In this wonderfully intelligent, stunningly honest, painfully funny book, acclaimed writer David Shields uses himself as a representative for all readers and writers who seek to find salvation in literature.
Blending confessional criticism and anthropological autobiography, Shields explores the power of literature (from Blaise Pascal’s “PensEes “to Maggie Nelson’s “Bluets, ” Renata Adler’s “Speedboat” to Proust’s” Remembrance of Things Past”) to make life survivable, maybe even endurable. Shields evokes his deeply divided personality (his “ridiculous” ambivalence), his character flaws, his woes, his serious despairs. Books are his life raft, but when they come to feel un-lifelike and archaic, he revels in a new kind of art that is based heavily on quotation and consciousness. And he shares with us a final irony: he wants “literature to assuage human loneliness, but nothing can assuage human loneliness. Literature doesn’t lie about this–which is what makes it essential.”
A captivating, thought-provoking, utterly original way of thinking about the essential acts of reading and writing.
Author
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “How Literature Saved My Life” about?
Who is the author of “How Literature Saved My Life”?
When was “How Literature Saved My Life” published?
What is the ISBN for “How Literature Saved My Life”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
