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A review by shallihavemydwarf
Known and Strange Things: Essays by Teju Cole
3.0
I had a lot of the same feelings about this book that I did about Neil Gaiman's View from the Cheap Seats. Both books attempt to package disperate or homeless essays, many of which probably should have just stayed on the author's blog. Cole waves a hand to purposefulness in his preface, but to very little noticeable effect.
Cole is unquestionably a more intelligent writer than Gaiman, and a few of these essays were quite good. I particularly enjoyed the one on Julius Caesar. If you happen to have a well-rounded background in photography, this book may be a great fit for you. So many of the included essays are photography related, that I wonder why Cole didn't simply choose to write a book on that topic, especially given his background in art history.
Cole is unquestionably a more intelligent writer than Gaiman, and a few of these essays were quite good. I particularly enjoyed the one on Julius Caesar. If you happen to have a well-rounded background in photography, this book may be a great fit for you. So many of the included essays are photography related, that I wonder why Cole didn't simply choose to write a book on that topic, especially given his background in art history.