Why do some artists seem to fade away while others last forever? Beth Kephart raises this question in her recent review of “Lastingness” for the Chicago Tribune. From the review: Six years ago, during one of my summer writers’ workshops, I found myself presented with a young man who was already (at the ripe age […]
The Los Angeles Times recently sat down with Delbanco to discuss his latest work, Lastingness: the Art of Old Age and the link between creativity and longevity. From the article by Scott Martelle: Nicholas Delbanco sits on a swivel chair in his second-floor writer’s study, his back to the desk, knees bent slightly as he […]
Nicholas Delbanco’s latest work, Lastingness: The Art of Old Age, was recently featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” From the feature: In 1928, when poet William Butler Yeats was in his 60s, he wrote “Sailing to Byzantium,” in which he laments, An aged man is but a paltry thing / A tattered coat upon a […]
Nicholas Delbanco wrote a feature article for the February edition of The Writer’s Chronicle, a publication of The Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP). The article, titled “My Old Young Books,” was adapted from an “Afterword” for Sherbrookes, which Dalkey Archive Press will reprint as a single revised volume in August 2011. The trilogy […]
“Lucid, perceptive, and broad-ranging, LASTINGNESS speaks to the greatest anxiety of the creative with wisdom-infused passion. This is a work to take gratefully to heart.” —Gish Jen, author of World and Town “From where else but the panoramic cultural erudition of Nicholas Delbanco could such a tour-de-force of artistic sensitivity have come? This book is […]
Lastingness: The Art of Old Age Nicholas Delbanco, Grand Central, $24.99 (288 p) ISBN 978-0-446-19964-3 Why do so many creative minds become more productive and flourish with age? Delbanco (The Beaux Arts Trio), one of America’s most influential literary writers and critics, tackles this question, brushing aside the national obsession with youth to measure mature […]
The following readings by Nicholas Delbanco have been scheduled in support of his latest work, Lastingness: The Art of Old Age. 1/31/11 — Borders Ann Arbor, MI 7:00pm 2/8/11 — Nicola’s Books, Ann Arbor, MI time tbd 2/18/11 — The Book Stall, Winnetka, IL 6:30pm 3/6/11 — Book Soup, West Hollywood, CA 5:00pm For more […]
Library Journal: Review of LASTINGNESS The Art of Old Age
Prolific scholar and novelist Delbanco (Spring and Fall) applies his sound literary skills to this study of geniuses–as they aged–in the fields of literature, music, and the visual arts. Delbanco focuses on the fascinating question of why some people’s creative talents flourish with age, while others’ fade. He explores and explains our general societal conflict about our elders and the question of when to expect them to step aside.
Review Date: October 15, 2010 Publisher:Grand Central Publishing Pages: 288 Price ( Hardback ): $24.99 Publication Date: January 24, 2011 ISBN ( Hardback ): 978-0-446-19964-3 Category: Nonfiction A prolific author now in his late-60s examines why some artists remain productive, even innovative, in the dying of the light, while others opt not to rage but […]
Nicholas Delbanco was recently featured in The Washington Post’s books section in a piece titled, “The Writing Life: Nicholas Delbanco.” For this feature, Delbanco contributed an essay titled, “Remembering the Reys,” and was interviewed by Marie Arana. That essay, as well as the podcast for the interview, are both available on The Washington Post website. […]
