Starting Out in the Thirties (Cornell Paperbacks)
The great American literary critic Alfred Kazin's passion for books grew out of his belief in their power to shape the real world. First published in 1965, this classic memoir chronicles Kazin's apprentice years, during which he enthusiastically participated in New York's left-wing cultural life--vivid portraits of V.F. Calverton, Philip Rahv, and Malcolm Cowley are among the book's many pleasures--while writing his pioneering study of American literature,On Native Grounds. Few authors convey their love for art as infectiously as does Kazin in descriptions of works as diverse asFontemaraby Ignazio Silone andAwake and Singby Clifford Odets. He writes with equal warmth about family, friends, and lovers.--Wendy Smith