Título: Allegorizings
Autor: Jan Morris
Sinopse: New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Jan Morris delivers her final volume, brimming with reminiscences, meditations on daily life, and mini-essays on everything from maturity to whistling to Princess Diana. Not so long ago, feeling intimations of mortality, Jan Morris embarked on a wholly novel literary enterprise. What began as a series of high-minded letters to her late daughterin the style of Lord Chesterfield addressing his sonquickly transformed itself into a potpourri of mini-essays and vibrant reminiscences, organized around experiences both majestic and mundane, from traveling the world with her lifelong partner, Elizabeth, to sneezing and kissing and simply growing old. So Allegorizings came to be, and so Morris decided that it should only be published upon her death, not because she had anything to hide but, merely, in parting. Featuring essays largely written in the early twenty-first century, Allegorizings reflects, above all, Morriss steadfast conviction that nothing is only what it seems. In fact, she observes, everything is allegory. Indeed, in Morriss telling, even lifethe whole conundrum of existenceis one long, majestically impenetrable allegory. Taking us from the separatist hippie colony of Bolinas, California, to her home country of Wales, and introducing us to Nepalese Sherpas and elderly cruise-goers alike, Morris follows the throughline of allegory throughout her works. In one essay, she lambasts the joylessness of maturity (Maturity! Did ever a heart thrill to the sound of it, still less the meaning?) and in another, decries the nonsense of nationality. With characteristic verve, she offers odes to whistling and cursing, cats, and exclamation points. Morriss travels anchor the collection, as she revisits the iconic settings of her previous works. We join her aboard the storied Orient Express, as well as tube trains passing through the purlieus of London. So too, we hike the foothills of the Himalayaswhere Morris burst onto scene with her on-the-spot reportage of the first ascent of Everestand reflect on the picaresque allure of Tournus, a dichotomized town in France where one France, bearing all the vestiges of privilege, seems to kiss another. Intimate and luminously wise, Allegorizings is as much a testament to the virtues of embracing life as it is a testament to its charming, indignant, and ever-surprising author. In her final work, Morriss writing is as erudite as ever, conveying a generosity of spirit flavored by well-earned crankiness (Vox). Though newly bereft of her company, readers will be reminded what a good, wise, and witty companion (Alexander McCall Smith) Morris has been to so many, for so long.
Contexto da obra
Quando a classificação é mais ampla, o contexto do livro costuma depender ainda mais de autoria, tema e edição. “Allegorizings”, de Jan Morris, publicado pela editora Liveright Publishing, em 2021 e com 174 páginas, integra a categoria Livros Variados. Por isso, autoria, edição e tema acabam tendo ainda mais peso na forma de apresentar o livro.
Editora: Liveright Publishing
Páginas: 174
Ano: 2021
Edição:
Linguagem: English
ISBN: 1631490532
ISBN13: 9781631490538
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora Liveright Publishing costumam reunir narrativas densas e reflexivas, que transitam entre memórias pessoais e análises históricas profundas. A experiência de leitura frequentemente envolve um ritmo contemplativo, marcado por ensaios, biografias e relatos que exploram tanto o íntimo quanto o coletivo, com atenção ao detalhe e à linguagem cuidadosa. O catálogo indica um interesse por temas como identidade, passagem do tempo, política e cultura, apresentados com uma prosa que varia do lírico ao direto, sempre com nuances de complexidade emocional e intelectual. Há obras que privilegiam o relato pessoal e outras que adotam um tom mais investigativo, sugerindo uma diversidade de abordagens dentro de um mesmo compromisso com a qualidade literária.
