A Nest of Thorns: James Wolcott on Democratic aphasia

Praise for THE BOOK OF CALAMITIES

"Searching and often searing . . . . It would be tempting to see Trachtenberg as a literary ambulance chaser if his treatment of the subject weren't so humane and, at the same time, so unsentimental. . . .The Book of Calamities is a work of real moral intricacy . . . . Trachtenberg's readings are uniformly sensitive, and he draws connections between life and art . . . that are both surprising and unforced. . . .a beautiful and unsettling book." -- Louis Bayard, Salon

"Oddly thrilling. By gathering quotes, theories, and literary references. . ., Trachtenberg presents suffering as an otherworldly experience, both wretched and sublime. Like death, it is neither understood nor acknowledged by those who have not witnessed it themselves. . . . Trachtenberg focuses on what people think, not feel, when they suffer. . . . Throughout, Trachtenberg searches for some way to quantify suffering, to find terms that limit the sense of boundlessness that accompanies it. . . . The Book of Calamities’s power lies in its subtle repetitions: the vast array of stories sufferers tell themselves, the meticulous ways they sort out their pain."
-- BookForum

"Captivating . . . . Trachtenberg approaches his subject with keen perception and measured passion. Measured, because he consciously struggles to make personal sense of suffering even as he explains it to others. . . . His hard work culminates in a brilliant study – lyrical and poignant, penetrating and challenging." -- Charlotte Observer

"In his enthralling book, Trachtenberg's five questions on suffering move from 'Why me?' to 'What do I owe those who suffer?' . . . Beautifully written, intricately woven . . . . 'The Book of Calamities' is a subtle mixture of reporting, history and philosophy that addresses some of life's most difficult questions." -- Newark Star-Ledger

"This book is 'a layman's response' to unimaginable anguish, a collection of powerful stories rather than a philosophical treatise. Writing movingly about victims and survivors of natural disasters, war, genocide, domestic violence, addiction, illness, suicide and injustice, he deftly intermingles their stories with observations from religion, philosophy and literature. . . . Trachtenberg offers no easy solutions. His book, however, like Andrew Solomon's 'The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression,' succeeds because it asks the right questions, calls on the experience of articulate witnesses, and—through skillful narrative and trenchant observation—beguiles the reader into facing heartbreaking reality." -- Publishers Weekly [starred review]

"Frank and urgent . . . . Trachtenberg . . . . rais[es] complex questions about justice, malice, compassion, blame, self-pity, personal responsibility, faith, and doubt. . . . He harvest[s] wisdom from the likes of Primo Levi, Siddhartha, and Simone Weil, from Aeschylus's Oresteia and the book of Job." -- O: The Oprah Magazine

"Profound and profoundly moving . . . .Trachtenberg, a self-described amateur journalist with no pretension to any serious religious training, weaves compelling strands of reporting, memoir, philosophy and theology to offer a thoughtful, many-sided portrait of the problem of human suffering. . . .What's most arresting is Trachtenberg's skill at juxtaposing tales of suffering that are far from obvious . . . . He demonstrates sophisticated insight into traditional religious texts, from the Gilgamesh epic to the Book of Job to the sixth century writings of the Christian martyr Boethius. Revealed in each of his stories, with great sensitivity and humanity, is not merely a catalogue of the myriad ways we cope with suffering, but the essential, if often inexplicable, resilience of the human spirit in that eternal struggle. . . . As an example of thoughtful striving to illuminate those timeless questions [The Book of Calamities] is unmatched.--Shelf Talker

"With enlightened sensitivity, Trachtenberg combines reportage, personal narrative, and moral philosophy to explore 'suffering as a spiritual phenomenon,' weighing its effects in terms of large-scale social injustice as well as individual tragedy. 'Everybody suffers,' the author concedes, 'but Americans have the peculiar delusion that they’re exempt from suffering,' a misapprehension his book 'is meant to address.' Trachtenberg achieves this goal, particularly in allowing voices of those who have experienced extreme physical or emotional hardship to emerge. . . . The book’s narratives do not neatly coalesce in a grand articulation, but rather collectively illuminate a timeless, worldwide continuum of suffering . . . .Delivered overall as if intended for ongoing contemplation rather than immediate understanding, in the manner of an extended Zen koan, The Book of Calamities raises more questions than it resolves—perhaps deliberately so. Trachtenberg guides readers toward compassionate acknowledgement of the suffering of others, a necessary step on the path toward spiritual becoming." -- Chronogram Magazine

"Terrifying and wondrous . . . . Trachtenberg is as humble as he is nimble, and both qualities are prerequisites for his inquiry—or rather, set of inquiries. . . .
"This is The Book of Calamities’s remarkable achievement: To the shock of suffering, Trachtenberg responds with a masterful collage of personal narrative, journalism, biblical criticism, and layman’s philosophy that gently and subtly guides the reader past both unbelief and certainty. . . .
"Trachtenberg never makes suffering beautiful, but his prose is often lovely. . . When he thinks we can bear it, the book is even funny. No gags, just an appreciation for the humor that attends suffering. . . .He writes most vividly not of horror but of the delight he takes in the people he comes to care for—the twins, Linda, a painter in the final chapter. He sees not just their suffering, but also their brilliance, and it’s that reflected light that makes this darkest of studies itself a kind of witness, a profound book of heart-stopping stories and even more powerful questions. This is a rare and invaluable kind of writing, almost scriptural in its scope and its openness to pain. I say 'almost,' because The Book of Calamities is both less and more than the scripture from which it borrows much of its form. Trachtenberg offers no answers and doesn’t even seem certain there are any. And yet that seems like a blessing, a recognition that there is a limit to witnessing—which means that there may be a limit to suffering, too." -- Jeff Sharlet, Search Magazine

Events

Talk, "Bill Sikes's Dog: The Value of the Irrelevant Detail in the Work of Creative Nonfiction," Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY. February 18, 2010, 5:30 PM
Talk, "The Value of the Irrelevant Detail in the Work of Creative Nonfiction." University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC. November 3, 10 AM
Panel discussion, "I Was Doing My Job: the Language of Work in Nation-building and Genocide. Olin Auditorium, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. October 22, 7:30 PM
Reading, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA. October 15, 2009, 7 PM
Reading and talk. Grayson Community College, Denison, TX. Sept. 17, 2009, 7 PM

A Nest of Thorns

Saturday, September 5, 2009

James Wolcott on Democratic aphasia

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