Readings - Essays and Literary Entertainments (Paperback)

"For some time now, the best book critic in America has been Michael Dirda."—Michael M. Thomas, New York Observer

Intimate, humorous, and insightful, Readings is a collection of classic essays and reviews by Michael Dirda, book critic of the Washington Post and winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for criticism. From a first reading of Beckett and Faulkner at the feet of an inspirational high-school English teacher to a meeting of the P. G. Wodehouse Society, from an obsession with Nabokov's Lolita to the discovery of the Japanese epic The Tale of Genji, these essays chronicle a lifetime of literary enjoyment.

"A delightful compendium of Dirda's most memorable essays revels in seven years' worth of bibliophilic passion....For any book lover who...doesn't know what to read next, Dirda will provide a lovely and genial guide."— Kirkus Reviews

"Michael Dirda may be as close to the ideal as we are likely to get."—Annie Proulx

"Michael Dirda is a superb literary essayist, and Readings should provide deep delight for discerning readers."—Harold Bloom