Keynote
“Like Kafka in a good mood.” —Judith Katz
Book Title
A Postcard Memoir
Cover Image
- “Sutin’s ingeniously constructed memoir uses duotone reproductions of postcards—by turns nostalgic, quaint or exotic—as Rorschach blots to evoke his deepest memories and feelings. Here he writes about typical events—Little League, his discovery of sex, bar mitzvah, past loves—but imbues his reminiscences of adolescent insecurity with a rueful, forgiving wisdom. Between each image and the corresponding text, odd juxtapositions and eerie or hilarious disjunctions fly like sparks, amplifying Sutin’s memories and puncturing his wild fantasies.”—Publishers Weekly
Body
Drawing upon his collection of quirky antique postcards, Lawrence Sutin has penned a series of brief but intense reminiscences of his "ordinary" life. In the process, he creates an unrepentant, wholly unique account about learning to live with a consciousness all his own. Ranging from remembered events to inner states to full-blown fantasies, Sutin is at turns playful and somber, rhapsodic and mundane, funny and full of pathos. Here you'll find tales about science teachers and other horrors of adolescence, life in a comedy troupe, stepfathering--each illustrated with the postcard that triggered Sutin's muse--and presented in a mix so enticingly wayward as to prove that at least some of it really happened.
List Price
$22.00
Purchase at
Purchase at:
About the Author
Credit: Erik Saulitis
Praise
- “The child of Holocaust survivors, Sutin is intimate with sorrow and fear, but he is also blessed with a supple sense of humor. As he sets out each enigmatic postcard like a personal tarot, he inventively reimagines the story of his fantasy-rich boyhood, at-sea adolescence, and slowly liberating adulthood. Rich in unexpected associations and genuine wisdom, Sutin’s episodic memoir is a travelogue though the growth of a mind and a journey to love.”—Booklist
- “A Postcard Memoir is the kind of book I’d secretly like to slip into my friends’ back pockets, marked READ ME.”—Rosellen Brown
