Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
Building on his enormously successful series of Philosophers in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern now applies his witty and incisive prose to brief biographical studies of the world's great writers. He brings their lives and ideas to life in entertaining and accessible fashion. Far from being a novelty, each book is a highly refined appraisal of the writer and his work, authoritative and clearly presented. Applause for Paul Strathern's Philosophers in 90 Minutes series: "Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character....I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization."—Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe "Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them....I find them hard to stop reading."—Richard Bernstein, New York Times "Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise."—Jim Holt, Wall Street Journal In preparation: Jane Austen, Borges, Cervantes, Chekhov, Conrad, Dante, Dickens, Faulkner, Hardy, Hemingway, Hugo, Henry James, Joyce, Mann, Tolstoy, Twain, Virginia Woolf.
Synopsis
Building on his enormously successful series of Philosophers in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern now applies his witty and incisive prose to brief biographical studies of the world's great writers. He brings their lives and ideas to life in entertaining and accessible fashion. Far from being a novelty, each book is a highly refined appraisal of the writer and his work, authoritative and clearly presented.
Tennessean
- Brian J. Buchanan
It furnishes a quick way for general readers to familiarize themselves with writers they wish to read or re-read.
Editorials
Katherine A. Powers
Witty and dramatic . . . I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization.— Boston Globe
William Grimes
Promise[s] to get readers up to speed . . . in 100 pages or so with no dumbing down— New York Times
Brian J. Buchanan
It furnishes a quick way for general readers to familiarize themselves with writers they wish to read or re-read.— Tennessean
Richard Bernstein
Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them . . . I find them hard to stop reading.— New York Times
A.A. Gill
These [books] have changed my life - and . . . will infuriate everyone I talk to for the rest of the year.— Sunday Times (London)
Birmingham News
[Strathern] offers insights on great authors so you can understand and enjoy them. Brainy!KLIATT
Strathern . . . offers concise and cogent commentary on every page . . . comparable to attending the lecture of a noted professor.The Bookwatch
The blend of biographical background and literary criticism . . . makes each an easily-digested introduction.New York Times
Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them...I find them hard to stop reading.— Bernstein, Richard
Birmingham News
[Strathern] offers insights on great authors so you can understand and enjoy them. Brainy!The New York Times
Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them...I find them hard to stop reading.— Richard Bernstein
Sunday Times (London)
These [books] have changed my life - and...will infuriate...everyone I talk to for the rest of the year.— A.A. Gill
Tennessean
It furnishes a quick way for general readers to familiarize themselves with writers they wish to read or re-read.— Brian J. Buchanan