Category: memoir

“Writing is drawing the essence of what we know out of the shadows.”

Knausgaard croppedThe passage continues: “That is what writing is about. Not what happens there, not what actions are played out there, but the there itself.”  This book, the autobiography of Norwegian novelist Karl Ove Knausgaard, reminds me of Proust.  He describes things in great detail — including his faults and … Read More

“Reflection is a mighty endeavor…no occupation is more powerful or more feeble, depending on the soul”

Montagne croppedHow come some people who write about themselves are bores, and others are fascinating? Michel de Montaigne, an inventor who lived in the 1500s, is fascinating.  Instead of keeping a record of what he did, he recorded what he was thinking about.  He wrote:  “I am not portraying … Read More

“Not a week goes by without my telling a lie, but I suppose that is the same for most people.”

Under what circumstances do you lie?  This book shows how our tendencies to lie can be influenced by the culture we live in.  Kyoko Mori describes situations in her home country of Japan, where it’s more important to be polite than honest, especially with people who have authority over you.  … Read More

“Terror and beauty are woven into the fringes of things both great and small.”

I have been drawn to this book by Annie Dillard many times, and I continue to appreciate the ideas and the poetic quality of the prose. My favorite chapter is “Seeing.” For her, seeing leads to understanding, which then leads to transformation. Her closing lines describe being moved by the … Read More

“Trust that the presence of long-held stories in your memories are there for reasons beyond entertainment.”

shadiow bookJohn Dewey, one of my heroes, said that you don’t learn from experience — you learn from thinking about your experience. That’s the idea that What Our Stories Teach Us is based on. Linda K. Shadiow outlines a three-step process of description, interpretation, and analysis. Is this sort of reflection … Read More