Describe Books In Favor Of Mao II
| Original Title: | Mao II |
| ISBN: | 0140152741 (ISBN13: 9780140152746) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Bill Gray, Karen Janney |
| Literary Awards: | Pulitzer Prize Nominee for Fiction (1992), PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction (1992) |
Don DeLillo
Paperback | Pages: 254 pages Rating: 3.68 | 9578 Users | 551 Reviews
Details Based On Books Mao II
| Title | : | Mao II |
| Author | : | Don DeLillo |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 254 pages |
| Published | : | 1992 by Penguin Books (first published 1991) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Novels. Literature. American. Contemporary. Literary Fiction. 20th Century |
Relation To Books Mao II
"One of the most intelligent, grimly funny voices to comment on life in present-day America" (The New York Times), Don DeLillo presents an extraordinary new novel about words and images, novelists and terrorists, the mass mind and the arch-individualist. At the heart of the book is Bill Gray, a famous reclusive writer who escapes the failed novel he has been working on for many years and enters the world of political violence, a nightscape of Semtex explosives and hostages locked in basement rooms. Bill's dangerous passage leaves two people stranded: his brilliant, fixated assistant, Scott, and the strange young woman who is Scott's lover—and Bill's.Rating Based On Books Mao II
Ratings: 3.68 From 9578 Users | 551 ReviewsCritique Based On Books Mao II
The cult of Mao was the cult of the book.A writer is always said to bring wisdom and knowledge to his readers, to give them guidance, clarity of mind by using stories and instances regardless of truth as exemplars. But can the writer do the opposite and inspire terror, chaos, and bewilderment? It is often said that a writer sacrifices himself for the better fortune of his readers. Writing should be a beloved practice to those who are enamored by words, by language, and sometimes by the abilityEven better upon a second reading, DeLillo books are ones that need demand two readings you read and see things with such vivid clearity, a wedding party escorted by a Russian Tank. Hey America deal makers or diplomats, " Don't bring your problems to Beirut" or Syria, The novel can't compete with the war and death on the 24-hour news networks shown without remorse, we relay on the carnage seen on CNN so we feel lucking about drinking our Coke-a-Cola with out bombs falling on our heads feel less
Consuming ImagesDon Delillos 1991 novel (his 10th) isn't just about the individual versus the crowd, but about the written word against the picture or the image.Fiction is the preserve of the writer, while television (and now social media) is the vehicle of the mass media. Early in the novel, DeLillos character, Karen, observes:It was interesting how you could make up the news as you went along by sticking to picture only. (32)We've got used to consuming images, whether with or without words.
An ice-breaker in a class discussion today on this: Did anyone read the first one? Sorry to report the ice held. But onto the book, which I harbor many different feelings forfrom awe to irritation, near-reverence to doubt. Some pages downright astonish with insights, masterfully articulated, into that postmodern condition of the threatened self versus collective/crowd, representation via words versus images, and the status and relevance of the writer-artist versus the terrorist, who harbinges
Don DeLillo is maybe my favorite novelist I would never recommend to anyone. Obviously, I don't mean he's not worth reading, but in order for his words to fulfill their collective mission in life, you have to read him the right way. Please believe me, I'm not some asshole who's saying you have to read him the way I do in how you interpret him or whether you like what you find, but you have to cast aside that "race for the finish-line" tendency we all have in us, and read uncomfortably close if
The hardest thing about reading a Don Delillo novel is everything is quotable, every sentence he writes is a sentence only Don Delillo could've written, anyway you look at it. This is a short book, shouldn't take one more than a few days, but it's such a rich, deeply profound book that needs to be read slowly, with much concentration lest you miss out on all the cool stuff. Some of it isn't accessible, not right away, but when you mull over it, you do see it make sense. See it define your life
This novel is just about ideal for me as its themes combine photography (and the power of the image) with writing (and the role of the novelist). About 90% of my time is spent either taking photographs or reading.The title of the book is derived from Andy Warhol's famous portrait of Mao Zedong, but the power of the image, especially of a portrait, is a dominant part of the story and it isnt just Mao II that is discussed. Alongside images and novelists, the book also explores terrorism and
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