A Preparation for Death by Greg Baxter
'Traditional autobiography is composed after the experience has passed. I wrote this book in the very panic of the experiences that inspired it ... ' In his early thirties, Greg Baxter found himself in a strange place. He hated his job, he was drinking excessively, he was sabotaging his most important relationships, and he was no longer doing the thing he cared about most: writing. Strangest of all, at this time he started teaching evening classes in creative writing - and his life changed utterly. A Preparation for Death is a document of the chaos and discovery of that time and of the experiences that led Greg Baxter to that strange place - an extraordinarily intimate account of literary failure (and its consequences), personal decay, and redemption through reading, writing, and truth-telling. Studded with vivid, loving portraits of the people closest to him - his Austrian grandmother, who narrowly survived the Second World War; his mother and father, both described with heartbreakingly close attention; and his cousin Walter, whose own demons provide a striking counterpoint to the author's - it is above all a stunningly vivid and searching self-portrait: possibly the most honest book you'll ever read.
Brilliant and wonderfully original.. Yes, this is a book about drinking and shagging. But rarely have these things been written about so well -- William Leith * Literary Review *
Baxter is a serious, thoughtful writer, bent on emotional truth and artistry. He has written an unusual, provocative book. -- Suzi Feay * Financial Times *
The triumph is in the steely courage it takes to put a life down with such uncompromising clarity -- Hugo Hamilton * Irish Times *
Baxter tells his story with a captivating and rare honesty * Sunday Times *
Brave, honest and propulsive * Metro *
A sustained and gripping meditation on art and authenticity. ... one of those books about almost nothing, that manage to be about almost everything -- James Lasdun * Guardian *
Brilliant - he writes well about everything ... Could be a classic * Evening Standard *
Baxter is a serious, thoughtful writer, bent on emotional truth and artistry. He has written an unusual, provocative book. -- Suzi Feay * Financial Times *
The triumph is in the steely courage it takes to put a life down with such uncompromising clarity -- Hugo Hamilton * Irish Times *
Baxter tells his story with a captivating and rare honesty * Sunday Times *
Brave, honest and propulsive * Metro *
A sustained and gripping meditation on art and authenticity. ... one of those books about almost nothing, that manage to be about almost everything -- James Lasdun * Guardian *
Brilliant - he writes well about everything ... Could be a classic * Evening Standard *
Greg Baxter was born in Texas in 1974. For the past ten years he has lived in Dublin, where he works as a journalist.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780141048444 |
| ISBN 10 | 0141048441 |
| Title | A Preparation for Death |
| Author | Greg Baxter |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2011-04-07 |
| Number of pages | 224 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |