James  Wood
Following ,The Broken Estate,, ,The Irresponsible Self,, and ,How Fiction Works,â€”books that established James Wood as the leading critic of his generationâ€”,The Fun Stuff c,onfirms Wood's preeminence, not only as a discerning judge but also as an appreciator of the contemporary novel. In twenty-three passionate, sparkling dispatchesâ€”that range over such crucial writers as Thomas Hardy, Leon Tolstoy, Edmund Wilson, and Mikhail Lermontovâ€”Wood offers a panoramic look at the modern novel. He effortlessly connects his encyclopedic, passionate understanding of the literary canon with an equally in-depth analysis of the most important authors writing today, including Cormac McCarthy, Lydia Davis, Aleksandar Hemon, and Michel Houellebecq. Included in ,The Fun Stuff ,are the title essay on Keith Moon and the lost joys of drummingâ€”which was a finalist for last year's National Magazine Awardsâ€”as well as Wood's essay on George Orwell, which Christopher Hitchens selected for the ,Best American Essays 2010,. ,The Fun Stuff ,is indispensable reading for anyone who cares about contemporary literature.
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The Fun Stuff: And Other Essays