The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them

Author:   Elif Batuman
Publisher:   Granta Books
ISBN:  

9781847083135


Pages:   298
Publication Date:   07 April 2011
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.

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The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them


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Overview

"In her brilliant first book Elif Batuman takes the reader on a journey both literary and physical as she traces the evolution of her fascination with Russian literature across the globe and several centuries. This is a deeply funny, fiercely intelligent portrait of the not-always-rational pursuit of knowledge. Though Batuman lavishes attention on the specifics of her passion-and may indeed inspire you to spend the rest of this season holed up with a thick Russian novel-her book is really about the process of learning itself. It's a relatable, absorbing account of what it feels like to be infatuated with ideas, and to let them lead you to ever more weird and wonderful places. Candid and reflective, mischievous and erudite, Batuman writes nimble and passionate essays celebrating the invaluable and pleasurable ways literature can increase the sum total of human understanding.A"" Most importantly though, it is really an examination of how we can bring our lives closest to our favourite books."

Full Product Details

Author:   Elif Batuman
Publisher:   Granta Books
Imprint:   Granta Books
Dimensions:   Width: 13.80cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 21.60cm
Weight:   0.431kg
ISBN:  

9781847083135


ISBN 10:   1847083137
Pages:   298
Publication Date:   07 April 2011
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.

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Reviews

Praise for The Possessed “In her comic, poignant, beguiling book, Batuman succeeds marvelously in illuminating her version of love.” —Reese Kwon, Virginia Quarterly Review “At every step along the way, Batuman’s observations are wonderfully vivid.” —Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune “Odd and oddly profound . . . Among the charms of Ms. Batuman’s prose is her fond, funny way of describing the people around her . . . Perhaps Ms. Batuman’s best quality as a writer though—beyond her calm, lapidary prose—is the winsome and infectious delight she feels in the presence of literary genius and beauty. She’s the kind of reader who sends you back to your bookshelves with a sublime buzz in your head. You want to feel what she’s feeling.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times Book Review “It’s not surprising that some people never get over these books, and Batuman, for


<p>Praise for The Possessed <br>&#8220;In her comic, poignant, beguiling book, Batuman succeeds marvelously in illuminating her version of love.&#8221; &#8212;Reese Kwon, Virginia Quarterly Review <br> &#8220;At every step along the way, Batuman&#8217;s observations are wonderfully vivid.&#8221; &#8212;Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune <br> &#8220;Odd and oddly profound . . . Among the charms of Ms. Batuman&#8217;s prose is her fond, funny way of describing the people around her . . . Perhaps Ms. Batuman&#8217;s best quality as a writer though&#8212;beyond her calm, lapidary prose&#8212;is the winsome and infectious delight she feels in the presence of literary genius and beauty. She&#8217;s the kind of reader who sends you back to your bookshelves with a sublime buzz in your head. You want to feel what she&#8217;s feeling.&#8221; &#8212;Dwight Garner, The New York Times Book Review <br> &#8220;It&#8217;s not surprising that some people never get over these books, and Batuman, for


Author Information

Elif Batuman was born in New York City, grew up in New Jersey, and went to college at Harvard. She completed a PhD in comparative literature at Stanford University in 2007. She currently lives in San Francisco, and teaches at Stanford in the Interdisciplinary Humanities program. Her writing has appeared in the New Yorker, Harper's, the London Review of Books, the Guardian, the Nation, and n+1. She is the recipient of a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award, and has a cat called Friday.

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