A Slice of Life is a collection of contemporary food writing that readers can really sink their teeth into: one that examines the ineluctable link between nourishment, literature, and society. Represented here are some of the world's best known writers, many of whom-like Julia Child, Marcella Hazan, and Anthony Bourdain-are well known for their alimentary musings, while others, like Roland Barthes and Susan Sontag are better known for their writings in other genres; all speak eloquently on the nature of food, language, and the adaptability of social customs.
Organized into chapters addressing descriptions of actual meals, autobiographical memories, the cultural spectacle of eating, the concept of want, the celebration of good food, and the philosophical, spiritual, and ethical aspects of food, author Bonnie Marranca has cooked up a tempting meal of writing that reflect on how the consumption of food-or the lack of it-takes on larger social significance. Charles Simic eulogizes tomatoes and questions bioengineering, Wole Soyinka delves into the nature of fasting, Umberto Eco declaims on in-flight dining, and Emily Prager reminisces, in an original essay, about Swedish food and the rejuvenating possibilities of a trip to Ikea-among others.
Garnishing the feast are Marranca's tantalizing introduction and Betty Fussell's meditation on the essential connection between food, existence, and writing. A Slice of Life is a banquet that readers will savor through its many courses.
作者簡介
Bonnie Marranca is the editor of American Garden Writing and The Hudson Valley Lives and has written extensively about the theater. The recipient of many awards and fellowships, she divides her time between New York City and the Hudson Valley. Betty Fussell writes frequently about food for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Cosmopolitan, Bon Appetit, and Vogue. Her many books include I Hear America Cooking and My Kitchen Wars.
