A new collection of immersive essays from the most acclaimed editor of
the second half of the twentieth century
This new collection from the legendary editor Robert Gottlieb features
twenty or so pieces he's written mostly for The New York Review of
Books, ranging from reconsiderations of American writers such as
Dorothy Parker, Thornton Wilder, Thomas Wolfe ("genius"), and James
Jones, to Leonard Bernstein, Lorenz Hart, Lady Diana Cooper ("the most
beautiful girl in the world"), the actor-assassin John Wilkes Booth, the
scandalous movie star Mary Astor, and not-yet president Donald Trump.
The writings compiled here are as various as they are provocative: an
extended probe into the world of post-death experiences; a sharp look at
the biopics of transcendent figures such as Shakespeare, Molière, and
Austen; a soap opera-ish movie account of an alleged affair between
Chanel and Stravinsky; and a copious sampling of the dance reviews he's
been writing for The New York Observer for close to twenty years. A
worthy successor to his expansive 2011 collection, Lives and Letters,
and his admired 2016 memoir, Avid Reader, Near-Death Experiences
displays the same insight and intellectual curiosity that have made
Gottlieb, in the words of The New York Times's Dwight Garner, "the
most acclaimed editor of the second half of the twentieth century."
