Bird by Bird
Anne Lamott
‘Superb writing advice ... hilarious, helpful and provocative.’
(The New York Times Book Review)'What makes Bird by Bird different is Anne Lamott's dry humour, which allows her to laugh at herself and her students while still being deadly earnest about the need to write. Like writing classes and groups, the book's aim is to leave aspiring writers feeling that they are not alone; that it's OK to feel neurotic, neglected, vengeful or self-doubting, as long as you keep writing.'
Fiona Capp (The Age)‘A warm, generous and hilarious guide through the writer’s world and its treacherous swamps.’
(Los Angeles Times)‘Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”’
Here, for the first time, is a local edition of the bible of writing guides — a wry, honest, down-to-earth book that has never stopped selling since it was first published in the United States in the 1990s.
In Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott, a bestelling novelist and memoirist, distils what she’s learned over years of trial and error. Beautifully written, wise, and immensely helpful, this is the book for serious writers and writers-to-be.
'As a writer, I occasionally pick up a ‘how to …’ book, looking for gems of wisdom or inspiration to ride like a surfboard on the waves of creativity. I have rarely read any of these in their entirety – they have mostly been too dry to be gripping, though many were useful.
Bird by Bird is totally different from any of the above. I read it from cover to cover; I laughed many times and was compelled to share the jokes with my wife; I was inspired; I felt gratitude towards the author and compassion for her when she shared her experiences. Anne Lamott doesn’t only give advice on how to write – though she does this succinctly and with humour – but the whole book is an example of what she is hoping to instill in aspirants.'
Daan Spijer (The Australian Writer)Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott is the author of five novels and three works of nonfiction, and the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship. She has been a book reviewer for Mademoiselle, a restaurant critic for California magazine, and a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. She also writes a popular column for the on-line magazine Salon, which Time magazine noted ‘could alone be the Best of the Web.’ Anne Lamott lives in northern California.
Buy from Readings
Extent: 272pp
Size: 210mm x 135mm
ISBN (13): 9781921372476
RRP: $27.95
Pub date: November 2008
ANZ, South Africa & South-East Asia
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