Genius: A Mosaic of One Hundred Exemplary Creative Minds - Softcover

Harold Bloom, one of the great literary critics and a champion of written culture, examines one hundred of the most creative and literary minds in history. From the Bible to Socrates, through the transcendent achievements of Shakespeare and Dante, down through the ages to Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters and James Joyce, Bloom reveals how the greatest writers can help us make the most of our own lives. Looking at the best and wisest authors, both western and eastern, for the last three thousand years, Bloom asks how literary characters have dealt with love, ageing, death and mourning. How did Achilles, Hamlet and Tolstoy's Natasha deal with loss? What can Dante's Beatrice tell us about our own affairs of the heart?

From Homer to Samuel Beckett, Bloom allows the reader to forge new literary friendships and appreciate old favourites anew. With excerpt from works that continue to surprise and enchant, he offers insights that will illuminate and expand the appreciation of literature. 'Genius' is the culmination of Harold Bloom's half-century of teaching on the written word. Practical, inspirational and provocative, it is a volume essential for any reader.

Praise for 'HOW TO READ AND WHY':

"'How to Read and Why' is sensationally alert to the joys of reading; and practically every page has some useful insight, some energising challenge."
'Independent on Sunday'

"It would be possible to fill a review of Bloom's work with his own phrases, so prodigal is he of insight...he is never less than memorable."
'The Times'

"Bloom is the kind of infuriating, eccentric and ultimately inspiring teacher we all need. If you want a survey course of the best reading around start here.
'Sunday Herald'