Klik op een omslag om naar Google Boeken te gaan.
Bezig met laden... Mauve Gloves & Madmen, Clutter & Vine (1976)door Tom Wolfe
Geen Bezig met laden...
Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. Mr. Wolfe has a sense of humour about his day job, which was writing about homes and decoration for "Esquire" and "New York", and instead of the larger themes found in "The Right Stuff", this is closer to home and informative about an area of endeavor, I've never been able to afford, "decorating" as opposed to "Furnishing" , a home. Fun, and wish-fulfilling. ( ) Tom Wolfe became famous in the 1960’s for a new style of writing in which he objectively presented factual information in the form of fiction. He worked for several major newspapers and magazines and wrote “New Journalism” essays, characterizing a decade, an era, an incident or phase of American history. Keeping his finger on the pulse of America he intellectually surmised the mood, culture, customs, and attitudes in a precise candid unbiased manner, often humorous, always “right on”. "Mauve Gloves & Madmen, Clutter and Vine", his seventh of twelve non-fiction books, is a series of essays covering the late 60’s – early 70’s; what Tom Wolfe labeled as the “ME Decade”. The spotlight jumps around from an apartment on Riverside Drive New York, to a Navy ship headed for the coast of North Vietnam; from college campuses (Yale), to the streets of San Francisco. This decade brought noticeable change to American culture: hippies, communes, war protests, a new middle class, the beginning of “conspicuous consumption”, and new fashion (denim and funky chic). There was a reawakening of religion and religious cults (Hare Krishna and Sun Myung Moon), and a new phenomenon “observing, studying, and doting on me”: marriage counseling and group therapy, divorce, “wife-shucking” for a younger woman, swingers, and swappers, feminism and women’s lib. Tom Wolfe touches on all these with sharp perception and incredible clarity. Wolfe gives minimal reference to government and politics but does put things in perspective when he mentions socialism. By the late 1960’s the literary elite and America’s intellectuals were crying doom and gloom: “war, revolution, imperialism, and poverty”. The general public was pushing towards socialism (welfare programs and redistribution of wealth) but hit an impasse when Solzhenitsyn’s "The Gulag Archipelago" revealed the horrors and atrocities of Russia’s socialistic policies. And the book wouldn’t be complete without the acknowledgement of two critical issues: war and racism. One essay involves a volatile scene when a famous black athlete is contracted to do a TV advertisement for cologne; a distinguished honor since black people were never featured in commercials….VOLATILE being the key word here. Another essay takes you right into the cockpit with courageous ace fighter pilots completing a mission over Vietnam. For anyone who wants a peek into everyday life in America during the “ME decade”, this book will suffice. It is full of deep truths, wildly entertaining trivia, and perhaps…for some…. a bit of nostalgic remembrance. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
"When are the 1970s going to begin?" ran the joke during the Presidential campaign of 1976. With his own patented combination of serious journalism and dazzling comedy, Tom Wolfe met the question head-on in these rollicking essays -- and even provided the 1970s with its name: "The Me Decade." Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
Actuele discussiesGeenPopulaire omslagen
Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)813.5Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th CenturyLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
Ben jij dit?Word een LibraryThing Auteur. |