Dreadful

Can there be more damning words than "This is not for everyone?" Of course there can be. But I think it will be much better than faint praise to say, "This book which is not for everyone was just right for me." I don't think a serious book about John Horne Burns could have turned out differently. Th......more

In the introduction to this biography of John Horne Burns, Margolick states he is a straight man, and one had to wonder right then why he felt he needed to make that announcement. In a way, it is an apology in advance for the lack of insight and sympathy shown throughout concerning the forces of hom......more

I have to wonder about why David Margolick the author, when writing about John Horne Burns, a flamboyantly gay writer, feels the need early on in the book to announce that he is straight. One ends up wondering how that ends up coloring his view of Burns--whose actions he makes many judgments about.......more

Interesting rediscovery of an author known for one major work, a postwar novel called The Gallery. Burns published two other books which were mostly reviled, and he died of a cerebral hemorrhage in his late 30s. The problem with the book is that he left very little behind except letters to friends a......more