One of my recurring Paris pleasures is popping into Village Voice, the English language bookshop in the 6eme. While trying to stay below the radar of the lunatic proprietor, it's always fun to browse the international versions of books I know only from their US publishers. Of particular interest are the inexpensive paperback editions of literary titles which compete with the more handsome paper ones.
But the best part is scoring the occasional edition of a book whose UK release is far ahead of its US release - in this case, J.M. Coetzee's collection of essays, Inner Workings, which compliles five years of his books reviews, the majority of which were written for the New York Review of Books. (Amazon lists the UK edition, with no entry that I can find yet for the US edition.)
I devoured the collection in a few sittings. Most of the reviews were familiar to me from their NYRB appearances, but to have them pulled together is to be deeply impressed, once more, by the depth his reading and the clarity of his critical judgment. Not everyone loves the collection - the Telegraph seems to have decidedly mixed feelings. But I think the essays are extremely worthwhile and merit the international shipping fees for any Coetzee fans out there. His essay on Philip Roth's The Plot Against America is the best essay I've read about this misunderstood book.
Awesome! I'm ordering it now...
Posted by: Justine | March 14, 2007 at 01:58 AM