{"product_id":"the-questions-that-matter-most-reading-writing-and-the-exercise-of-freedom-paperback","title":"The Questions That Matter Most: Reading, Writing, and the Exercise of Freedom - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJane Smiley\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNow in paperback, Pulitzer-winning novelist Jane Smiley's first nonfiction volume on writing since 2005's best-selling \u003ci\u003eThirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Smiley gives educators, readers, and writers much to discuss. Highly recommended.\" --\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Line for line, Smiley delivers such clear, vibrant, precise prose--handed forth as calmly and equitably as an ice cream cone, even when she's incensed--that a reader feels smarter just taking it in.\" --\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLong acclaimed as one of America's preeminent novelists, Jane Smiley is also an exquisite observer of the craft of writing. In \u003ci\u003eThe Questions That Matter Most\u003c\/i\u003e this Pulitzer Prize-winning writer offers penetrating essays on some of the aesthetic and cultural issues that mark any serious engagement with reading and writing. Beginning with a personal introduction tracing Smiley's migration from Iowa to California, the author reflects on her findings in the varied literature of the Golden State, whose writers have for decades pondered the West's contested legacies of racism, class conflict, and sexual politics. As she considers the ambiguity of character and the weight of history, her essays provide fresh entry points into literature, and we lucky readers can see how Smiley draws inspiration from across the literary spectrum to invigorate her own writing. With enthusiasm and meticulous attention, Smiley dives beneath surface-level interpretations to examine the works of Marguerite de Navarre, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, Willa Cather, Franz Kafka, Halldór Laxness, and Jessica Mitford. Throughout, Smiley seeks to think harder and, in her words, with \"more clarity and nuance\" about the questions that matter most.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJane Smiley\u003c\/b\u003e is a novelist and essayist. Her novel \u003ci\u003eA Thousand Acres\u003c\/i\u003e won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1992, and her novel \u003ci\u003eThe All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton\u003c\/i\u003e won the 1999 Spur Award for Best Novel of the West. She has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 1987. Her novel \u003ci\u003eHorse Heaven\u003c\/i\u003e was short-listed for the Orange Prize in 2002, and her novel \u003ci\u003eSome Luck \u003c\/i\u003ewas long-listed for the 2014 National Book Award. She is the recipient of the 2024 Robert Kirsch Award for Lifetime Achievement from the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e. She has written for numerous magazines and newspapers, including the \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker, the New York Times, Harper's\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Nation\u003c\/i\u003e. Her most recent novel, \u003ci\u003eLucky\u003c\/i\u003e, was published in 2024. She lives in Carmel Valley, California.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 256\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 8.4 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 04, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52042290200877,"sku":"9781597146364","price":22.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/the-questions-that-matter-most-reading-writing-and-the-exercise-of-freedom-paperback-9882497.webp?v=1780172167","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/the-questions-that-matter-most-reading-writing-and-the-exercise-of-freedom-paperback","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}