The Jukebox and Other Essays on Storytelling
ISBN10: 1250767253
ISBN13: 9781250767257
Trade Paperback
176 Pages
$16.00
CA$22.00
In his "Essay on Tiredness," Handke transforms an everyday experience—often precipitated by boredom—into a fascinating exploration of the world of slow motion, differentiating degrees of fatigue, the types of weariness, its rejuvenating effects, as well as its erotic, cultural, and political implications.
The title essay is Handke's attempt to understand the significance of the jukebox, a quest which leads him, while on a trip in Spain, into the literature of the jukebox, the history of the music box, and memories of the Beatles's music, in turn elucidating various stages of his own life.
And in his "Essay on the Successful Day," for which there is no prescription, Handke invents a picture of tranquility, using a self-portrait by Hogarth as his point of departure to describe a state of being at peace.
Playful, reflective, insightful, and entertaining, The Jukebox and Other Essays on Storytelling constitutes a literary triptych that redefines the art of the essay and challenges the form of the short story, confirming Peter Handke's stature as "one of the most original and provocative of contemporary writers" (Lawrence Graver, The New York Times Book Review).
Reviews
Praise for The Jukebox and Other Essays on Storytelling
"To enjoy this book, one must enjoy riding that slow milk train that is the essay—a form that, thankfully, cares nothing for the speedy delivery of information and exults in unexpected vistas outside its vibrating windows."—Sven Birkerts, The New York Times
"This is the third volume of 'nonfiction' from the prolific Austrian playwright, novelist, and poet, who often takes the writing life as subject. Handke delights in stretching his work across genres . . . This volume is a philosophical exercise by a mind taking multiple detours. Readers who lack the author's deadpan humor will stare blank-eyed at the page. They can't win. Handke has them precisely where he wants them."—Kirkus Reviews
Reviews from Goodreads
BOOK EXCERPTS
Read an Excerpt
The Jukebox and Other Essays on Storytelling
ESSAY ON TIREDNESS
Translated by Ralph Manheim
In the past I knew tiredness only as something to be feared.
When in the past?
In my childhood,...