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ambience's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
chillcox15's review against another edition
4.0
I'm wavering between a 3.5 and 4 stars for Joshua Cohen's mammoth essay collection, Attention. I loved a lot of the early essays here, but some of them are too navel-gazingly pretentious even for my tastes. Then comes the title essay, a book length (160 pages!) essay tracing the intellectual history of concepts relating to attention. Let's just say that, to me, there's a reason that slab of wordwork was affixed to this book and not its own publication. If it wasn't there, the 400 page version of this book would easily reach the 5 star range, even with Cohen's frequently opaque writings about Israel in here.
gabizago's review against another edition
2.0
This book is not bad, it’s just not what I was expecting from the title. I was expecting a collection of essays focusing on attention, information excess, and things like that. Instead, the book has several essays, letters, diary notes, etc, on several random topics, from Donald Trump to the letter j. While I liked some of the short diary notes, I didn’t really enjoy reading some long political pieces. If you are familiar with the author and what he writes, then this book might be great for you.
I received an advance ecopy via NetGalley so I could read the book before its release date.
I received an advance ecopy via NetGalley so I could read the book before its release date.
ericfheiman's review against another edition
3.0
Well played, Mr Cohen. As the book goes along, it gets harder and harder to dedicate one’s attention to an increasingly esoteric and intellectually elevated discourse. Call me a Philistine, I suppose, as I gave up around page 470 (out of 545). Ok, maybe half-Philistine? Give me a little credit, folks...
schgro's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
The best thing I’ve ever read?
reidrussom's review against another edition
2.0
DNF at 50%. Essay collections can be hit-or-miss, but Cohen’s (admittedly well-researched) writing frequently feels tedious.
mcmali_'s review against another edition
3.0
some of it went a bit over my head but more because I simply couldn’t contextualise. Otherwise picked up some very fresh insights and considerations.
bashfuloctopus's review against another edition
5.0
Joshua Cohen is a witty, intelligent writer who is able to convey the Life and Times of the intellectual in the modern day. This collection showcases the renaissance man who wrote it by connecting disparate stories and ideas into a cohesive (if sometimes abstract) narrative on Attention, Information Awareness, and how individuals [are able to] communicate with one another.
The ethnography of the Circus and its use as critique of the American political system was entertaining and brilliant. This is one of the highlights. While there were some shorter pieces I did not enjoy — reviews for works that seemed obscure to me — some reviews for obscure works I enjoyed nevertheless for their sharp humour. In recollection, it is the insightful, sharp pieces that stand out and even half of them would make the book worth reading. The many-part essay that gives a whirlwind tour of communication methods and their societal consequences in tandem with a history on the coining of "attentio" and its etymological development through philosophy and psychology to modern day stands as worthy of the ultimate piece in the collection. To boot, it ties in other stand-alone pieces (like the one with the glyph dream).
A bonus of this collection is the number of poems, notes and thoughts that intersperse the essays. The phone as holy grail is a personal favourite that had me laughing at least as loudly as the review/mini-bio on Hrabel.
I'm excited to read more from this author.
The ethnography of the Circus and its use as critique of the American political system was entertaining and brilliant. This is one of the highlights. While there were some shorter pieces I did not enjoy — reviews for works that seemed obscure to me — some reviews for obscure works I enjoyed nevertheless for their sharp humour. In recollection, it is the insightful, sharp pieces that stand out and even half of them would make the book worth reading. The many-part essay that gives a whirlwind tour of communication methods and their societal consequences in tandem with a history on the coining of "attentio" and its etymological development through philosophy and psychology to modern day stands as worthy of the ultimate piece in the collection. To boot, it ties in other stand-alone pieces (like the one with the glyph dream).
A bonus of this collection is the number of poems, notes and thoughts that intersperse the essays. The phone as holy grail is a personal favourite that had me laughing at least as loudly as the review/mini-bio on Hrabel.
I'm excited to read more from this author.
zachkuhn's review
5.0
I'm one of Mr. Cohen's fiercest supporters. His fiction is first rate. His Books column in Harper's was one of the few vital monthly columns about literature published in the United States. His journalism in GQ and other publications has caused me to renew subscriptions in the past.
So I'm a huge fan of Cohen. And spoiler alert: this book is full of insights about the America of today, but also about the state of literature and thinking about literature. In what other writer's work can you find a profile of Bernie Sanders AND an examination of what Zola and Stendahl meant by the novel "holding a mirror" up to society? (And, an aside: how many can extrapolate a thesis like "For many of my peers, to write about the present is to search for a mirror that will only show shadows"?) Or a profile of the last days of a circus AND a review of Zibaldone, a book I didn't know but that Cohen made me seek out?
Cohen's work is essential. With Moshfegh, he's one of two young American writers whose work I must read. All of it. Every published word.
So I'm a huge fan of Cohen. And spoiler alert: this book is full of insights about the America of today, but also about the state of literature and thinking about literature. In what other writer's work can you find a profile of Bernie Sanders AND an examination of what Zola and Stendahl meant by the novel "holding a mirror" up to society? (And, an aside: how many can extrapolate a thesis like "For many of my peers, to write about the present is to search for a mirror that will only show shadows"?) Or a profile of the last days of a circus AND a review of Zibaldone, a book I didn't know but that Cohen made me seek out?
Cohen's work is essential. With Moshfegh, he's one of two young American writers whose work I must read. All of it. Every published word.
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