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A review by bucketoffish
The Art of Time in Memoir: Then, Again by Sven Birkerts
2.0
Birkerts presents some interesting ideas about memoirs - about why people write them, and what makes one worthwhile to read. In his view, a good memoir is not only about the specific life events recounted, but about how they resonate more generally with the experiences of the reader. In a similar fashion to narrative fiction, a memoir is about reflection on a sequence of events that the author has found emotionally significant. Whether it's working through trauma, changing a perspective, or simply growing up, the memoir is about sorting through fragments of memory to find events that stand out in hindsight to form a cohesive story. As in fiction, there's a sense of an encompassing story arch and of something learned or experienced.
Birkerts talks about quite a few interesting ideas, and shows examples of ways in which memoir authors frame their work. He illustrates the concepts of selective memory, and of juxtaposing viewpoints from past and present. The first chapters were my favorite, when he touches briefly on philosophical topics of what it means to live through a series of experiences, to recall one or another with greater clarity, and then later to feel compelled to weave them into a narrative.
Birkerts talks about quite a few interesting ideas, and shows examples of ways in which memoir authors frame their work. He illustrates the concepts of selective memory, and of juxtaposing viewpoints from past and present. The first chapters were my favorite, when he touches briefly on philosophical topics of what it means to live through a series of experiences, to recall one or another with greater clarity, and then later to feel compelled to weave them into a narrative.