BookLust

Fightin' Words 6

Beckett does not believe in God, though he seems to imply that God has committed an unforgivable sin by not existing.

– Anthony Burgess on Samuel Beckett

Fightin' Words 5

That's not writing – that's typing.

– Truman Capote on Jack Kerouac

Fightin' Words 4

Truman Capote made lying an art. A minor art.

– Gore Vidal on Truman Capote.

Fightin' Words 3

The greatest mind ever to stay in prep school.

– Norman Mailer on J.D. Salinger

Fightin' Words 2

A delightful barb to start your weekend right.

He leads his readers to the latrine and locks them in.

– Oscar Wilde on George Moore

Fightin' Words

Some of you who know me probably know that I'm a sucker for small quirky gift books, especially if they cover the subjects of writing, reading, or something book-related. So it's no surprise is it, that I would snatch up a copy of the insightful, witty and sometimes downright nasty Fighting Words: Writers Lambast Other Writers – from Aristotle to Anne Rice. James Charlton is the editor of this marvelous little collection, and the clever illustrations are by the artist Tullio Pericoli.

So why would I enjoy this book? Because it's writers saying nasty things about other writers, silly! Not only do you experience the joy of reading a good insult, you get the added delight of a good insult that is very well written. Hell, I will honestly admit that when I read about the lives of writers, I don't just want to learn about how they develop their craft – I wanna know all about the delicious nasty petty little details of their lives. I want to know if they kicked their dog, drank themselves into next week and beat their children mercilessly. I probably won't like their writing any less if I find out they're a drunken, selfish bastard (read this blog post for more on that interesting subject), as long as they write well. So yes, I certainly enjoy a bit of petty writer name-calling. Don't you?

All this rambling on my part is my way of saying a new category has been created, called Fightin' Words. May the nastiness begin!

The effect upon women is such that they want to go right out and get him and bring him home stuffed.

– Dorothy Parker on Ernest Hemingway