Is Tom Wolfe or Gay Talese the best journalist that has ever lived?
After reading this collection of works from Tom Wolfe, I've put him ahead on points,just.
In this book we have nine essay's, a novella and a re-print / recollection of a parody on the The New Yorker Magazine.
The subjects covered in the essay's are fantastic.
We have an article on Robert Noyce of semi-conductor fame, the co-inventor of the micro chip and founder of Intell.
We have an article on the sculpture Frederick Hart.
The price of admission is covered with these two bits of writing alone.
Then we have a re post to critical articles and comments by John Updyke, Norman Mailer and John Irving regarding Wolfe's novel A Man in Full. In this Wolfe argues that it is possible to write a great story and be popular at the same time, rather than a write a novel that is read by three elitists and then sinks without a trace.
And after reading Mr. Wolfe's argument it is very difficult to disagree. Its all about pretension he says and he has no time for it.
This loathing of pretension is also apparent in the essay on Frederick Hart, who was shunned by the artistic " elite" in New York because his work was too representative. Basically because people could actually see what it was he was ignored. The artistic movement had been hi- jacked by the modernists and post- modernists who had created their own little club that you had to conform to or you were out.
This is a fantastic collection and is highly recommended to anyone who has an interest in good writing.
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