Mario Vargas Llosa writes in “Why Literature?”, his 2001 essay for The New Republic, that “literary illusion lifts and transports us outside of history, and we become citizens in a timeless land, and in this way immortal.” Though Vargas Llosa is specifically referring to literary fiction, the same feeling pervades Carl Dennis’s extraordinary thirteenth collection…
via A Kosmos of Buffalo: A Review of Carl Dennis’s “Night School” — Michigan Quarterly Review
To be honest with everyone and especially myself I have never been into literature. I have concentrated my readings and writings on the here and now. If I can feel it; see it and touch it, I feel comfortable dealing with it.
This post opened my eyes to a different way of interacting with my surroundings. I have always known that my imagination, creative and otherwise, needed revamping. I shied away from fiction in the hopes of not having to involve my emotions to comprehend what I was writing.
In his post, John S. O’Connor eloquently and in language that even I can understand offers critiques of Carl Dennis’ Night School. O’Connor compares Dennis’ writing style to the styles of other literary greats. Upon ready the last sentence of the post, I wanted to secure a copy of Night School.
I recommend that you read O’Connor’s post. Let your imagination run wild though under intellectual control.
paulhunterjones 