{"product_id":"wonderlands-essays-on-the-life-of-literature-9781644450918","title":"Wonderlands: Essays on the Life of Literature","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSearching and erudite new essays on writing from the author of \u003ci\u003eBurning Down the House.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCharles Baxter's new collection of essays, \u003ci\u003eWonderlands\u003c\/i\u003e, joins his other works of nonfiction, \u003ci\u003eBurning Down the House \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Art of Subtext\u003c\/i\u003e. In the mold of those books, Baxter shares years of wisdom and reflection on what makes fiction work, including essays that were first given as craft talks at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe essays here range from brilliant thinking on the nature of wonderlands in the fiction of Haruki Murakami and other fabulist writers, to how request moments function in a story. Baxter is equally at home tackling a thorny matter such as charisma (which intersects with political figures like the disastrous forty-fifth US president) as he is bringing new interest to subjects such as list-making in fiction. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmid these craft essays, an interlude of two personal essays--the story of a horrifying car crash and an introspective \"letter to a young poet\"--add to the intimate nature of the book. The final essay reflects on a lifetime of writing, and closes with a memorable image of Baxter as a boy, waiting at the window for a parent who never arrives and filling that absence with stories. \u003ci\u003eWonderlands \u003c\/i\u003ewill stand alongside his prior work as an insightful and lasting work of criticism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Baxter, Charles\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/12\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Graywolf Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781644450918\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.72lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.26h x 5.59w x 0.64d","brand":"Charles Baxter","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39815464714315,"sku":"9781644450918","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0021\/1697\/6715\/products\/img_e59604e3-3a99-4679-b487-f207433547fe.jpg?v=1658952282","url":"https:\/\/blackbookstore.com\/products\/wonderlands-essays-on-the-life-of-literature-9781644450918","provider":"Black Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}