Friday, June 13, 2008

John S. Zinsser RIP

John S. Zinsser was the editor at Readers Digest responsible for some 800 condensed books. I always thought those were the most curious things, written for people who just want a general knowledge of everything, with none of the detail, subtlety and artistry of the original. If I did that for a living, I would always be feeling guilty for my crimes against literature.

Imagine there was somebody out there doing the same thing for works of art? The possibilities are endless.

2 comments:

Candy Minx said...

This was a delightfully funny post!

I wonder if he had a "readers digest" funeral?

"Dearly beloved,rest in peace, okay out of the funeral home! Next!"

I sometimes think that art school is a way to "readers digest" young artists...it takes a lot of personal interest to read books these days...and a lifelong engagement with art is also so depedant...to fight off "ideas" or "constraints" about art.

Maybe "blockbuster" art shows are a kind of readers digest format..."here is an art period all in one room" as if thats possible...

but then I tend to be highly sensitive to situations of control freaks or brainwashing...heh heh...

A said...

I grew up devouring those condensed books (along with zillions of whole books), and at some point in my teens, I came across a copy of one of the novels I had particularly admired in its entirety at the library. I took it home and compared them, and to my astonishment, I could not find the difference. Seriously.

I read the two side by side and couldn't locate the missing words, the vanished sentences. And yet, the condensed version was obviously shorter. It was like magic. I know he did it, I just don't know how!