Rating: 5/5
Review:
Terrific stuff
I think this is a terrific collection of many of Francis
Spufford's essays, articles and talks over the last 25 years or so. Spufford is extraordinarily erudite,
remarkably thoughtful, very insightful and writes prose which is dense but a
real pleasure to read. He has grouped
the pieces into topics and they make a fine compendium of thought-provoking and
enjoyable ideas.
He had me at hello, really.
The introduction opens with, " 'The imagination,' said Coleridge,
'is the power to disimprison the soul of fact.'
Except he didn't. Say it, that is." I loved that and the way he then traces the
misattribution, illustrating precisely the point he is making. This includes, just a page or so later
"…fact that wants to be let out, from its literal prison of dates and
documents, to roam free and have non-literal adventures. As Tolkien said, who doesn't approve of
escape? Jailers, that's who." It's a wonderful essay to start the
collection; perhaps controversially in 2017, Spufford maintains the distinction
between fact and falsehood while, also against current trends of instant
judgement and opinion, maintaining that a fact or idea needs to be thought
about and left in our heads until it begins to speak to us and reveal what it
really has to say – possibly in the form of a story.
And so on. This is a
book to be savoured in smallish episodes, I think. Spufford's writing and thinking is packed
with ideas and images and I like to let a bit sink in and settle before trying
more. I come back to the book with
renewed pleasure each time.
In short, this is a brilliant, hugely enjoyable collection
by a brilliant thinker and writer. Very
warmly recommended.
(I received an ARC via NetGalley.)
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