The Disappointment Artist: Essays

Bookshelf space demanded that I purchase "The Dissapointment Artist" as an audio CD instead of in hardback, something I did with a little hesitance--no matter how good the reader, many books on CD remind me of kindergarden storytime. This is not the case with "Artist." Lethem reads his essays with an even, mellow pace as he tells of nerdy childhood obsessions...then slowly, slightly, lets his voice lower, his tone darken, as he frankly discussions the death of his mother and its effect on him. I give a hearty "thumbs-up" to the Audio edition of this book--it's worth every cent.

I love introspective essays - I think they are the purest form of creative writing. In an essay, a writer can discuss the topic that he knows most about (himself) while writing in whatever voice and whatever form the author deems appropriate. If there are few rules in fiction, there are even less rules in essays. Who can tell you that you're wrong in your opinion on yourself? Jonathan Lethem's "The Dissapointment Artist" is a collection of essays that chronicles the pop culture obsessions that made Lethem into the writer that he is. Music, movies, and art are all given ample time, but books and authors make up the lion's share of topics discussed. He also spends a chapter talking about Hoyt-Schermerhorn, his favorite New York City subway station. New York City itself also played a formative role in his writing style, as "The Fortress of Solitude" is set there. "Motherless Brooklyn" goes so far as to wear the Big Apple's influence on Lethem in its title. Other previous works include science fiction novels "As She Climbed Across the Table" and "Girl in Landscape." Lethem addresses his beginnings in science fiction by admitting to seeing Star Wars twenty-one times in one summer in one essay, while also telling of an obsession with Philip K. Dick that drove him to drop out of college and move across the country to join the Philip K. Dick Society, which was dedicateding to "propagating his works and furthering his posthumous career." Lethem addresses each essay with a nostalgic excitement. Some essays retain the fanatical qualities all the way through, like the essay on Dick, and another on comic books titled, "Identifying with Your Parents." Others take a reverent turn. Lethem waxes philosophical on both the personal and public meanings of little-known author Edward Dahlberg in the title essay, while "Two or Three Things I Dunno about Cassavetes" made me wonder why no one had told me of film-maker John Cassavetes before, if he is so wonderful and important. The strength of the essays lies in the strength of Lethem's convictions. Besides the pinpointing of a different formative influence in every essay, there are few things that hold the book together. The book is horribly non-chronological, skipping all over Lethem's life. Topics rarely get even so much as referenced again after their essay is over. Most of the topics he discusses are obscure, as I only knew Star Wars, Pink Floyd and Philip K. Dick in a 150-page book. Yet this book is compelling in the extreme, because Jonathan Lethem can really write. Even though his obsessions teeter precariously on the cliff that is "cultish" towards the sea that is "arcane," he explains his obsessions with such clarity, insight and humor that is impossible not to enjoy the ride through his influences. I can't believe that such a narcissistic piece of work could ever get published - but I am better off for having found it. The distinct style with which Lethem writes could suck anyone in, and the humor

i'm not sure how anybody could give this less than 4 stars. If you became a teenager in the 70's, this book is the rarest treasure.

At this stage, I'd read anything Jonathan Lethem would care to publish. I'd read his grocery lists if he saw fit to publish them. That's how talented and original he is. I picked up "The Disappointment Artist" because of the cover. (Seriously, it's the greatest cover in the history of publishing.) Then I plowed through it in one sitting, wishing there were more. It's compelling and, at times, wickedly funny. As I imagine his grocery lists would be.

I first ran into Lethem's fiction back in the early 90's, when his first novel, Gun with Occasional Music, captivated me. As a novel it was unique and fascinating and glorious... and obviously a homage to Philip K. Dick, an obsession I too have indulged. Subsequent novels cast about for something to say before finally getting back on track in the last couple of years. I read the essay "The Beards" in the New Yorker recently and had to own this book. Suddenly a lot of things about who this guy is and what he's about were clear. Each of his essays, so "about" obsession or longing or the importance of certain films or authors or what-have-you are also explorations of his internal landscape and the larger themes of growing up, or coming to grips with our own or our parent's humanity. Unplugged from the need to fictionalize, Lethem finds a voice that sometimes eludes him in is fiction. And it is a funny, moving voice with interesting tales to tell.