Fifteen outstanding writers answered editor Wendy Lesser’s call for original essays on the subject of language–the one they grew up with, and the English in which they write.Despite American assumptions about polite Chinese discourse, Amy Tan believes that there was nothing discreet about the Chinese language with which she grew up. Leonard Michaels spoke only Yiddish until he was five, and still found its traces in his English language writing. Belgian-born Luc Sante loved his French Tintin and his Sartre, but only in English could he find “words of one syllable” that evoke American bars and bus stops. And although Louis Begley writes novels in English and addresses family members in Polish, he still speaks French with his wife–the language of their courtship. As intimate as one’s dreams, as private as a secret identity, these essays examine and reveal the writers’ pride, pain, and pleasure in learning a new tongue, revisiting an old one, and reconciling the joys and frustrations of each.
The Genius of Language
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Review
"Intimate, entertaining and thoughtful. . . . It is impossible to do do justice to all of the outstanding essays in this volume." --San Francisco Chronicle
“Charming, moving and funny reflections on childhood, family, nationality, and ethnicity as well
as language. . . . Genuinely transporting” --The New York Sun
“Eloquently explores the links between childhood and language.” —Chicago Tribune
"Provides readers not just with a peak inside the heads of these dazzling writers, but a trip to each of their homelands, from Russia to Italy to Chile." --Condé Nast Traveler
“This delightful collection É vividly recounts the process that anyone who loves words goes through: the process of falling under the spell of language’s seemingly infinite potential.” --Publishers Weekly
“Intimate, entertaining and thoughtful É this volume provides fascinating insight into the way that grappling with language is a way people also grapple with life.” --San Francisco Chronicle
“This is a collection that should heighten anyone’s awareness of the potential and the limitation of the English language.” --San Jose Mercury News
“Ms. Lesser’s contemporary Conrads — writers who write in English though it’s not their first language — have delivered charming, moving and funny reflections on childhood, family, nationality, and ethnicity as well as language.” --New York Sun
“I laughed and cried over this collection of stories embracing the English language. {One of the 25 best books of 2004}.” --Seattle Times and Post- Intelligencer
“A rich and surprising book brimming with love of culture and respect of language.” --Tucson Citizen
“Powerful for their brevity É the richness and the range of the collection make this a valuable anthology.” --Kliatt (Massachusetts)
“This collection of essays is fascinating.” – Asheville (North Carolina) Citizen-Times
“Charming, moving and funny reflections on childhood, family, nationality, and ethnicity as well
as language. . . . Genuinely transporting” --The New York Sun
“Eloquently explores the links between childhood and language.” —Chicago Tribune
"Provides readers not just with a peak inside the heads of these dazzling writers, but a trip to each of their homelands, from Russia to Italy to Chile." --Condé Nast Traveler
“This delightful collection É vividly recounts the process that anyone who loves words goes through: the process of falling under the spell of language’s seemingly infinite potential.” --Publishers Weekly
“Intimate, entertaining and thoughtful É this volume provides fascinating insight into the way that grappling with language is a way people also grapple with life.” --San Francisco Chronicle
“This is a collection that should heighten anyone’s awareness of the potential and the limitation of the English language.” --San Jose Mercury News
“Ms. Lesser’s contemporary Conrads — writers who write in English though it’s not their first language — have delivered charming, moving and funny reflections on childhood, family, nationality, and ethnicity as well as language.” --New York Sun
“I laughed and cried over this collection of stories embracing the English language. {One of the 25 best books of 2004}.” --Seattle Times and Post- Intelligencer
“A rich and surprising book brimming with love of culture and respect of language.” --Tucson Citizen
“Powerful for their brevity É the richness and the range of the collection make this a valuable anthology.” --Kliatt (Massachusetts)
“This collection of essays is fascinating.” – Asheville (North Carolina) Citizen-Times
From the Back Cover
"Intimate, entertaining and thoughtful. . . . It is impossible to do do justice to all of the outstanding essays in this volume." --San Francisco Chronicle
“Charming, moving and funny reflections on childhood, family, nationality, and ethnicity as well
as language. . . . Genuinely transporting” --The New York Sun
“Eloquently explores the links between childhood and language.” —Chicago Tribune
"Provides readers not just with a peak inside the heads of these dazzling writers, but a trip to each of their homelands, from Russia to Italy to Chile." --Condé Nast Traveler
“This delightful collection É vividly recounts the process that anyone who loves words goes through: the process of falling under the spell of language’s seemingly infinite potential.” --Publishers Weekly
“Intimate, entertaining and thoughtful É this volume provides fascinating insight into the way that grappling with language is a way people also grapple with life.” --San Francisco Chronicle
“This is a collection that should heighten anyone’s awareness of the potential and the limitation of the English language.” --San Jose Mercury News
“Ms. Lesser’s contemporary Conrads — writers who write in English though it’s not their first language — have delivered charming, moving and funny reflections on childhood, family, nationality, and ethnicity as well as language.” --New York Sun
“I laughed and cried over this collection of stories embracing the English language. {One of the 25 best books of 2004}.” --Seattle Times and Post- Intelligencer
“A rich and surprising book brimming with love of culture and respect of language.” --Tucson Citizen
“Powerful for their brevity É the richness and the range of the collection make this a valuable anthology.” --Kliatt (Massachusetts)
“This collection of essays is fascinating.” – Asheville (North Carolina) Citizen-Times
“Charming, moving and funny reflections on childhood, family, nationality, and ethnicity as well
as language. . . . Genuinely transporting” --The New York Sun
“Eloquently explores the links between childhood and language.” —Chicago Tribune
"Provides readers not just with a peak inside the heads of these dazzling writers, but a trip to each of their homelands, from Russia to Italy to Chile." --Condé Nast Traveler
“This delightful collection É vividly recounts the process that anyone who loves words goes through: the process of falling under the spell of language’s seemingly infinite potential.” --Publishers Weekly
“Intimate, entertaining and thoughtful É this volume provides fascinating insight into the way that grappling with language is a way people also grapple with life.” --San Francisco Chronicle
“This is a collection that should heighten anyone’s awareness of the potential and the limitation of the English language.” --San Jose Mercury News
“Ms. Lesser’s contemporary Conrads — writers who write in English though it’s not their first language — have delivered charming, moving and funny reflections on childhood, family, nationality, and ethnicity as well as language.” --New York Sun
“I laughed and cried over this collection of stories embracing the English language. {One of the 25 best books of 2004}.” --Seattle Times and Post- Intelligencer
“A rich and surprising book brimming with love of culture and respect of language.” --Tucson Citizen
“Powerful for their brevity É the richness and the range of the collection make this a valuable anthology.” --Kliatt (Massachusetts)
“This collection of essays is fascinating.” – Asheville (North Carolina) Citizen-Times
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4.7 out of 5 stars
3 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
This anthology is as unique as it is interesting to read.
Oct 15 2005
By Allan M. Gathercoal
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
All fifteen authors have one thing in common: they love words. All of them were drop-shipped, via their parent's fiat, to worlds where their mother tongue was no longer heard. These are the stories of how they lived, learned, spoke and eventual wrote English. Initially, their minds were full of ideas, but the words to express them were no longer understood outside of their family. The need to communicate burned inside of them and drove them to English, and maybe drove to the unencumbered freedom found in writing.
If you are looking for a work in the field of linguistics, keep looking, for this book is a `niche' book that gives one an unusual vista on the joys of words via quasi-autobiographies. This anthology is as unique as it is interesting to read. Strongly recommended
If you are looking for a work in the field of linguistics, keep looking, for this book is a `niche' book that gives one an unusual vista on the joys of words via quasi-autobiographies. This anthology is as unique as it is interesting to read. Strongly recommended
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Reading!
Nov 5 2005
By W. Harwood
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Wonderful collection of essays by first-rank writers on the transition from the native language to our American version of English. Starting of course with the example of Joseph Conrad they offer insights into their intial contact with English in their childhoods and how this shaped their perceptions of the US and ease their entry into our society. Since I have first hand experience with most of the languages and cultures described (living in Bangladesh, Poland, and Russia, Scottish grandmother), this rang true. Useful for linguists to see how their theories work, something I don't quite understand, but which they do as perceptive writers. The brief essays are well-crafted and easy to understand, much more accessible than their own writings may be or a sociological analysis of the transitions they outline.
5.0 out of 5 stars
We are what we speak
Oct 8 2012
By Simon G. Barrett
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Modestly squeezed within the neat format of an old-fashioned Penguin book, thin austerity-feel paper and all (I don't have the hardback, obviously!) these fifteen essays on life with two languages - arranged, quite simply, by language, from Bangla to the inevitable Yiddish - attain a uniformly (and improbably) high standard. All were specially commissioned, not often a good sign; how on earth did Lesser know to pick the contributors, were there rejects and how firm an editorial hand was required? What a roster! Even the Greek piece, not among the best IMHO, is immensely rich, with some great cross-purpose dialogue(p120), an American Crystal Palace (in Astoria, Queens!), some Canadian local colour and some choice Greek swear-words. Louis Begley (of the stunning Warlime Lies) also diappoints, and Ariel Dorfman was altogether too tricksy, but it was an unexpected pleasure to come across John Campbell, whose back-page JC column is the main reason for reading the TLS, in this company, while Gary Shteyngart's winning piece sent me scurrying straight to my bookshelves. Wendy, sit down; I think I love you
Neither Turkish nor Arabic (nor Hebrew, come to that) make the cut. For some future edition the Turkish-American Murat Nemet-Nejat might be worth a punt; in his eccentric Questions of Accent (Exquisite Corpse 43) he says things like 'Zukovsky, a foreigner, teaches Creeley, the Puritan, English as a foreign language, a structure of power Creeley does not completely own' and seeks to show that since American English is mongrel no American poet 'is writing in his or her mother tongue'(!) but his more personal musings might be evocative
Neither Turkish nor Arabic (nor Hebrew, come to that) make the cut. For some future edition the Turkish-American Murat Nemet-Nejat might be worth a punt; in his eccentric Questions of Accent (Exquisite Corpse 43) he says things like 'Zukovsky, a foreigner, teaches Creeley, the Puritan, English as a foreign language, a structure of power Creeley does not completely own' and seeks to show that since American English is mongrel no American poet 'is writing in his or her mother tongue'(!) but his more personal musings might be evocative
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Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
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