Mauss, Karl Marx, patent, property laws, fables, religious texts, money lending, Martin Luther, economy; but the main substance of the book is about the poets, Walt Whitman (an analysis and poetry being a gift of the soul), and Ezra Pound (a biography describing how he sent money, clothes, and letters to help his friends). Ezra Pound described the state of writing "tranced fixation"(reflecting Kerouac, who said "Never revise" and reputedly wrote On the Road in a single two-week sitting).
The book ends with the puzzle of how to support creative work in the present moment; the disconnect between the practice of art and common forms of earning a living. ( )

Libro ricco e complesso che aiuta a interpretare il ruolo delle dinamiche del dono (e dello scambio, della compra-vendita, dell'usura) nella società in generale e nella pratica artistica in particolare. Nella prima parte si sviluppa il concetto di dono in termini generali, passando per le fiabe, la vita tribale, il luteranesimo e la parità/disparità di genere, con considerazioni sempre estremamente utili. Nella seconda parte si applicano i concetti emersi alle vite e all'opera di due poeti, Walt Whitman ed Ezra Pound, ricavando ulteriori osservazioni, mai banali e mai troppo assertive (Hyde ha anche il merito di ripensare a quanto scrive e cambiare magari opinione). Una lettura estremamente utile, non solo e non tanto per gli artisti (come la copertina vuol fare credere) ma a chiunque sia interessato ad approfondire un centrale tema antropologico quale è quello del dono. ( )

Some interesting ideas about art and the marketplace, but overall not for me. Too much talk about creativity being an ineffable gift from the universe or whatever. ( )

THE GIFT The Gift by Lewis Hyde, is a philosophical treatise on the interconnection between the ”gift” an artist’s creative spirit, a “gift” an object proffered to another and the act of “giving” a work of art. The author looks to anthropology and folk tales, to propose the circuit model: an artist creates a physical object, shares that item with another individual who briefly enjoys the entity, then passes the relic on to another, who repeats the process, etc. The archetypal token may or may not eventually return to the primary donor. Or the initial giver may receive an alternate present. A deeper set of discussions involves the impact of capitalism on talent. Should music, a painting or poem be given freely to all? If the artifact is sold, does consumerism taint the value of the artistry? Should the composer, the water colorist and the writer be constrained to a life of poverty? I find this discourse intriguing because firstly, this book was given to me as a gift by dear neighbors. Secondly, I shall follow the premise of circulation by sending this tome to a family member who operates a lending library from her garage. The Gift will live in my memory, yet have a life beyond my dusty bookshelf. And finally, I as an author, just published my first book. I have used my talent, i.e., gift, to create by an artistic means, and now am in the process of marketing my poetry volume. My solution to Hyde’s questions is to endeavor to always labor to produce worthy writing to submit to our capitalist society. ( )

This book is a multi course meal. Not a snack. Not dessert. It asks big questions about art and provides historical context for how we got to where we are today. It's not a I sat down and read it in a day sort of book either. You need time to digest all the ideas explored. If you are an artist or want to become one, however, it's required reading ( )