Reading and Writing

by Robertson Davies

Discusses the impact of reading, the way books should be read, the life of a writer, the role of the critic, and the use of language

Genres: Writing, Essays, Nonfiction, Books About Books

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

William Robertson Davies, CC, FRSC, FRSL (died in Orangeville, Ontario) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. He was one of Canada's best-known and most popular authors, and one of its most distinguished "men of letters", a term Davies is sometimes said to have detested. Davies was the founding Master of Massey College, a graduate college at the University of Toronto.

Novels:

The Salterton Trilogy
• Tempest-tost (1951)
• Leaven of Malice (1954)
• A Mixture of Frailties (1958)
The Deptford Trilogy
• Fifth Business (1970)
• The Manticore (1972)
• World of Wonders (1975)
The Cornish Trilogy
• The Rebel Angels (1981)
• What's Bred in the Bone (1985)
• The Lyre of Orpheus (1988)
The Toronto Trilogy (Davies' final, incomplete, trilogy)
• Murther and Walking Spirits (1991)
• The Cunning Man (1994)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robertso...

Reviews

[Dominick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robertson Davies, unrepentant elitist that he is, pontificates here on what it means to be a good reader and a good writer. These were lectures, so flow with the easy colloquiality of words meant to be read aloud--which, Davies suggests here, should in fact be the case with all writing, or all creative writing, anyway. Anyway, it's witty, insightful occasionally tendentious, and thoroughly Davies. An easy, illuminating read (took me a bit over an hour).

[Crystal Reaume · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Robertson Davies and his unabashed elitism.
I also just really loved both of these pieces and actually agree with most of his arguments.
I enjoyed 'Reading' over 'Writing.'
I'm sad this was a library copy and I could not mark it up.
There were many tidbits I need to record.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davies was a Canadian “man of letters,” who grew up in a literary family and worked as a journalist and professor. I liked his ideas about reading, and was grateful that even though he says to aspiring writers: “If you haven’t got shamanstvo, you haven’t got it, and that’s that,” he gave some hints to where to find this all-important ability to enchant. A slim volume full of surprising insights. A unique writer whose The Deptford Trilogy sounds like it is written with a great deal of shamanstvo, so it’s going on my list.

[Etola · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book is actually a pair of lectures that Davies delivered, "Reading" and "Writing," respectively. I think he had a lot of good things to say, and I particularly appreciated his approach to reading as an art in and of itself--a participatory art done in tandem with the writer. I came across this in the library, and I'm glad I picked it up.

[Christian Kotsur · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this little book with absolutely no idea who the author was, but I did learn very quickly how arrogant his writing appeared to be. The first half of the book I felt held better quotes from the author and was a more solid effort than the writing portion. A quick little read, but nothing truly special for me. 3/5

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge lover of Davies. That being said, this particular book revealed some of his elitist insecurities. I accept who Davies was. Without his demons and foibles, he would never have been able to write the masterpieces we all know and love.

[Jacob Bornheimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two enjoyable short lectures, Reading being better.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tanner Lectures on Human Values are talks given by a wide variety of experts and artists on a wide variety of topics, ranging from philosophy to science and on the way meandering through any and every other field. Their purpose is to "advance and reflect upon the scholarly and scientific learning relating to human values". Davies's lecture and most of the others are available in pdf format on the University of Utah Tanner Humanities Center website at http://www.tannerlectures.utah.edu/lectures.

This slender volume is Robertson Davies at his best. It is clearly written, insightful, and there are no wasted words. He reveals often counter-cultural views on Reading and Writing, arguing against the idea that anyone can be a writer--or any other kind of artist--just by so choosing, for the creation of an intellectual elite that stands apart from both the mediocre tastes of the average fellow and the university, which has a come to dominate matters of the mind, for internal vocalization while reading, and for reading deeply rather than widely.

Best of all, he's as funny as ever. Very few lectures have made me laugh out loud twice. But I've got a thing for Robertson, so maybe it's just me.

Highly recommended for writers, aspiring writers, and readers of all ilks. For pretentious English majors (and Masters and Ph.Ds), critics, and the politically correct, be warned! Expect to get a bit hot under the collar. But as Bertrand Russell says, "[i]f an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do."

[Ruth Barone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small little book with some important things to say about writing.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

made some interesting points. it's two lectures, from the 1990's. worth reading

[Karl Marx]

guix, how to open the book here?