Essays is an eclectic collection of the hyper-talented playwright Wallace Shawn's musings, interviews, and serious exposition on politics, social responsibility, and the power and excitement of the theatre. This book is the rare example of a short work that successfully manages to be all over the place, yet somehow remains unified in spirit. Its cohesion and sticky readability are testament to the considerable skills of its clever and insightful author, who proves that he is not merely a considerable wordsmith, but also a passionate and admirable heart with an eye for the heroic, possessed of a willingness to lay his own soul bare for all to see.
Essays is divided into two parts, the first half focusing mainly on morality and politics, the second half on theatre and the arts. Or rather it tries to – not only his considerable wit, but also Mr. Shawn's strong feelings regarding man's inhumanity to man and social injustice infect nearly every piece in this volume, coloring even the stories of his childhood and life in the theatre. The author's introduction states, "The schizophrenic nature of this book... gives a pretty good picture of my own mind," and we have no reason to doubt it. These essays are so diverse that they include both an interview with the American poet Mark Strand about poetry, and nothing but poetry, as well as an interview with Noam Chomsky about, well you can probably guess. Well-written and entertaining, his stories will have his readers doubled over with laughter one moment, and questioning the morality of their world view the next.
Essays is divided into two parts, the first half focusing mainly on morality and politics, the second half on theatre and the arts. Or rather it tries to – not only his considerable wit, but also Mr. Shawn's strong feelings regarding man's inhumanity to man and social injustice infect nearly every piece in this volume, coloring even the stories of his childhood and life in the theatre. The author's introduction states, "The schizophrenic nature of this book... gives a pretty good picture of my own mind," and we have no reason to doubt it. These essays are so diverse that they include both an interview with the American poet Mark Strand about poetry, and nothing but poetry, as well as an interview with Noam Chomsky about, well you can probably guess. Well-written and entertaining, his stories will have his readers doubled over with laughter one moment, and questioning the morality of their world view the next.
Yet throughout there is the sense that we are really getting to know Wallace Shawn, from his candid admission that he grew up as a "...child of privilege," to his bold assertion that "a poem really is more enjoyable than an empire, because a poem doesn't hate you." Readers will quickly recognize that they are in the presence of a great mind, one confident enough to drop all pretense and stand quietly in full view – a rare treat indeed, even in the world of memoirs.
Readers may not agree with everything that Mr. Shawn says in the first rather politically-charged section, but they will not be confused about where the author stands; they will surely find his emotional response to war and political intrigue at the very least to be honest and heart-felt, and for the more similarly minded, compelling. South Carolina senators may be heard shouting "You lie!" from the gallery in response, but more astute readers, even rather conservative ones, will find their thoughts provoked and their creativity stimulated by the left-leaning, compassionate themes running throughout all of Shawn's work. Although it is possible to not read this book, it is not possible for those who do read it to avoid thinking.
Readers may not agree with everything that Mr. Shawn says in the first rather politically-charged section, but they will not be confused about where the author stands; they will surely find his emotional response to war and political intrigue at the very least to be honest and heart-felt, and for the more similarly minded, compelling. South Carolina senators may be heard shouting "You lie!" from the gallery in response, but more astute readers, even rather conservative ones, will find their thoughts provoked and their creativity stimulated by the left-leaning, compassionate themes running throughout all of Shawn's work. Although it is possible to not read this book, it is not possible for those who do read it to avoid thinking.
"And somehow an artistic object comes into being, that is, an object that exists for the purpose of being contemplated." This is from Shawn's essay entitled Aesthetic Preferences, and it rings true as a description of the book which contains it. Somehow Essays by Wallace Shawn has come into being, an unlikely and entertaining little book that probably won't get much press, for the purpose of being contemplated. This book deserves more than one reading, and will generate much contemplation.
