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kiramke's review against another edition
5.0
I picked up this translation years ago in a book swap somewhere in eastern europe. The entire book was lovely, but the apocryphas in particular have stayed with me long after my memory of the details faded.
tshepiso's review
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Still Life with Bridle was an unexpected delight. My university reading this semester has been filled with numerous duds, but this essay (and apocryphal) collection about the Dutch art scene in the 17th century resonated for some reason.
Zbigniew Herbert's ability to craft engaging narratives around banal topics is the heart of why this book was so compelling despite its innocuous subject matter. His beautiful description, sharp analysis, and passion for art were so fascinating to explore as someone's who's never studied art in any sort of academic way. Herbert blends art criticism with history and cultural commentary so well and by the end of this oddball collection, I understood why he was so fascinated with this particular sliver of history.
I just want to take a moment to gush about the best essay in this whole collection, The Bitterness of Tulips. Herbert's recounting of the wild story of Dutch tulipomania was some of the most engaging pieces of narrative non-fiction I've ever come across and was thoroughly enraptured by the absolute madness contained in every single page. While the whole collection was strong that tale stood far and above the rest in how gripping and bonkers his portion of history was.
I probably won't be seeking out any more art criticism or Dutch cultural commentary, but the few days I spent exploring it through this collection was certainly a fun time.
Zbigniew Herbert's ability to craft engaging narratives around banal topics is the heart of why this book was so compelling despite its innocuous subject matter. His beautiful description, sharp analysis, and passion for art were so fascinating to explore as someone's who's never studied art in any sort of academic way. Herbert blends art criticism with history and cultural commentary so well and by the end of this oddball collection, I understood why he was so fascinated with this particular sliver of history.
I just want to take a moment to gush about the best essay in this whole collection, The Bitterness of Tulips. Herbert's recounting of the wild story of Dutch tulipomania was some of the most engaging pieces of narrative non-fiction I've ever come across and was thoroughly enraptured by the absolute madness contained in every single page. While the whole collection was strong that tale stood far and above the rest in how gripping and bonkers his portion of history was.
I probably won't be seeking out any more art criticism or Dutch cultural commentary, but the few days I spent exploring it through this collection was certainly a fun time.
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