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Less than the sum of its parts
Aug. 6th, 2023 06:33 pmBook Review: Among the Cities, by Jan Morris
R picked this up second-hand, and it was my turn to read it. I think the main problem I had with it was that, to me, it didn't feel very well curated. The selection is simply alphabetical, which is admittedly canonical, but seems arbitrary: I would have preferred something chronological, or geographical, as an ordering. So we begin in Alexandria and end in Wyoming, one of the essays that isn't strictly about one city anyway (a number fall into this category, but are included anyway, because reasons). The lack of progression, other than alphabetical, may have led to me paying less attention; but one or two of the essays have clearly been edited after their stated date (the most egregious being mention of the Wall in Berlin, from an essay dated 1957). I note that some of the reviews on Goodreads specifically call out the colonial, or post-colonial, style of writing; I have always read that aspect of Morris's writing as rather ironic and not to be taken too seriously. Looking at the positive, I enjoyed rather more the essays on Manhattan and Vienna in particular; but as a collection, I have to say it didn't work particularly well for me.
R picked this up second-hand, and it was my turn to read it. I think the main problem I had with it was that, to me, it didn't feel very well curated. The selection is simply alphabetical, which is admittedly canonical, but seems arbitrary: I would have preferred something chronological, or geographical, as an ordering. So we begin in Alexandria and end in Wyoming, one of the essays that isn't strictly about one city anyway (a number fall into this category, but are included anyway, because reasons). The lack of progression, other than alphabetical, may have led to me paying less attention; but one or two of the essays have clearly been edited after their stated date (the most egregious being mention of the Wall in Berlin, from an essay dated 1957). I note that some of the reviews on Goodreads specifically call out the colonial, or post-colonial, style of writing; I have always read that aspect of Morris's writing as rather ironic and not to be taken too seriously. Looking at the positive, I enjoyed rather more the essays on Manhattan and Vienna in particular; but as a collection, I have to say it didn't work particularly well for me.