Talk Stories
by Jamaica Kincaid
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This collection of Jamaica Kincaid's original writing for "The New Yorker"'s "Talk of the Town" was composed when she first came to the United States from Antigua, from 1978 to 1983. The essays illuminate Kincaid's development as a young writer--the newcomer who sensitively records her impressions here takes root to become one of our most respected authors.Tags
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1/2021 Autobiographical essays taken from the New Yorker magazine's Talk of the Town column from 1974-83. Some are local gossip column style, some are sociology disguised as gossip, and some are travel writing disguised as sociological gossip. The first essay, which Jamaica Kincaid didn't expect to be printed without more editing, ends with an excellent carnival clowning joke referencing Malcolm X. The subsequent columns are more sedate, as one would expect from a marginalised writer trying to fit into the mainstream, but all of them are professionally written and retain more interest than might be imagined for essays printed as 1970s gossip columns.
Quotes
Carnival clowning, 1974: "As Lord Kitchener said to me, 'accessibility is the key show more to success.' After that I had a large hunk of Shabazz Bean Pie. I say without reservation, this is the No.1 Third World dessert. In fact, every time I have some of it I think kindly of Mr Shabazz and everybody with an 'X' after his name."
Advice from editors, 1979, lol: "A fiction writer can write about anorexia nervosa, abortion, death, and homosexuality in hard-cover books for young adults but not in soft-cover books for young adults."
Lmao, 1981: "The other day, the people at the Ford Motor Company threw a cocktail party for Anne and Charlotte Ford at the new Palace Hotel. Almost all the guests there looked as though they never drove themselves anywhere or, if they did, they didn't actually have to." show less
Quotes
Carnival clowning, 1974: "As Lord Kitchener said to me, 'accessibility is the key show more to success.' After that I had a large hunk of Shabazz Bean Pie. I say without reservation, this is the No.1 Third World dessert. In fact, every time I have some of it I think kindly of Mr Shabazz and everybody with an 'X' after his name."
Advice from editors, 1979, lol: "A fiction writer can write about anorexia nervosa, abortion, death, and homosexuality in hard-cover books for young adults but not in soft-cover books for young adults."
Lmao, 1981: "The other day, the people at the Ford Motor Company threw a cocktail party for Anne and Charlotte Ford at the new Palace Hotel. Almost all the guests there looked as though they never drove themselves anywhere or, if they did, they didn't actually have to." show less
Horrible writing-why was this ever published?
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Author Information
51+ Works 8,442 Members
Jamaica Kincaid came to the United States in 1966 as a free-lance writer and is now on staff at the New Yorker. Her first volume of stories, At the Bottom of the River (1983), depicts men and women alienated from each other by conflict, physical separation, or death. The story "My Mother" vividly describes the painful separation between mother and show more daughter; and the stories in Annie John (1985) clearly reveal that the world of the past cannot be recaptured. Kincaid's poetic use of language and everyday images allows the reader to experience ordinary events with a new and heightened sensitivity. Kincaid is a relatively new writer whose works are beginning to receive critical attention. (Bowker Author Biography) Jamaica Kincaid, novelist, memoirist, & essayist, was born in St. John's, Antigua. Her books include At the Bottom of the River, Annie John, Lucy, The Autobiography of My Mother, and My Brother, all published by FSG. She lives with her family in Vermont. (Publisher Provided) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Talk Stories
- Original publication date
- 2001
- Important places
- New York, New York, USA; Antigua
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 126
- Popularity
- 258,091
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.97)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 1
