Tutti i diari sono documenti intimi, ma alcuni sono più intimi degli altri.

I read this book very slowly because in a sense, nothing really happens here. You're not led through the pages by following actions or events. However, as you progress in the reading, the complexity of a man like Cheever gradually takes shape with small touches and increasing clarity. And in learning to know his restlessness and his defeats, I felt a sense of intimacy that I had never found in similar readings.

His inner world, which is also vast, can be reduced to a few fundamental themes, and I believe this holds true for most of us. Friendships, loves, cities, and occupations can be easily changed, but the main themes we always return to are few and less mutable than we think.

In his case, there is a strong sensitivity and tension towards the beauty of the daily: the falling snow, a frozen lake, the evening light in the garden. Love and desire often doomed to frustration. And two shadows that will accompany him throughout his life: homosexuality, which he lives with a great sense of guilt, and alcoholism, his daily companion for decades, with attempts at redemption and relapses.

Reading these pages, one almost has the feeling that Cheever was a writer without realizing it. Because apart from a few rare annotations on contemporaries (generally in praise of others - ah, the talent of Saul Bellow - and bitterness towards himself), the craft of writing is rarely present either as a project or as a record of successes or defeats.

And one never feels that Cheever is addressing a hypothetical reader. This diary is rather like a stream of consciousness that only tells events if they are minimal (planted a tree, walked the dog, had dinner with the neighbors), without accurately representing the external scenario but drawing with great subtlety the inner landscape of a man condemned to feel inadequate to the world.

"And I think of my family, especially my brother and sometimes my mother. We are in a group photograph, I'm usually on the far right or behind, in the background, generally with a glass in my hand. We seem to be printed in a different color from the rest of the group, but we don't have the intelligence to understand it, and so we will always be a bit clumsy, a bit stupid, and sometimes intensely unhappy."

And it is the clear and disarming writing with which Cheever speaks to himself - to us - that makes this book engaging and unique.

Quite a punishing read in a lot of ways, no doubt. The story seems to unfold with a certain heaviness that lingers. However, couldn't stop thinking though — Cheever's life was surely a lot better than most. He had his own set of experiences, both good and bad, but perhaps in the grand scheme of things, he had more opportunities and comforts than many others. And there's something to say for that! It makes one wonder about the different paths that people take in life and how they shape who we become. Need to re-read Bullet Park soon. Maybe a second reading will offer new insights and a deeper understanding of the complex characters and their struggles. It's always interesting to go back and explore a story again, to see if our perspectives have changed and if we can discover something new that we missed the first time around.

I've never read published journals before, so I didn't really know what to expect.

However, Cheever is the king of suburbia and inner conflict, repression, and sometimes bitterness. And that's kind of what you get - an insight into the tension that created his finest stories. For example, in 'The Country Husband', there is a line like "What was that? A $300 literary prize and some good reviews. Not enough to feed the dogs."

The struggle with his sexuality, alcoholism, money, wife, family, faith - there's a lot of mundane stuff, but that in itself is inspiring. It shows how great drama can be born of everyday life.

Cheever's works seem to peel back the layers of suburban existence, revealing the hidden turmoil and complex emotions that lie beneath the表面的平静.

His exploration of these themes makes his stories not only engaging but also thought-provoking, as they force readers to confront the realities of their own lives and the conflicts that they may be facing.

In conclusion, reading Cheever's published journals has been an eye-opening experience, and I look forward to delving deeper into his works in the future.

I'm leaving. I leave messages for the waitresses. I drink a Martini. I wait for the phone to ring.

When I'm feeling bad, I get drunk, go to the cinema and return to Bristol. The idea would be to leave a place, but I never really leave, I never really arrive at another place. I try to free myself from the things that bind me, but I forget the nature of the bonds. I go to the cinema. I wake up at four and read until dawn. I do everything except work, which was the reason I came.

It didn't take me long to read the diaries of John Cheever, written from the late 1940s until his death in 1982. Cheever was a man full of contradictions: he loved his wife and children, but felt deeply alone; he loved women, but also loved men; he hated himself because he had the vice of drinking, but for much of his life he couldn't stop.

Here, Cheever's writing is completely free, an inexhaustible source of poetry and considerations on the nature of love, sex, desire and life.

This is a curious case.

As a very avid reader of writers' diaries, in this instance, I have much preferred the edition with the excellent and extensive notes by Rodrigo Fresán, the initial chronology, and the epilogue by the editor of Cheever, Gottlieb, rather than the content of the diaries themselves.

When Cheever died in 1982, he left this unpublished and uncorrected work that includes 29 notebooks of loose sheets.

This edition includes only one-twentieth of the diaries, and when choosing the passages, Gottlieb selected the most representative within the material.

All the original notebooks were sold to the Houghton Library of Harvard in 1990.

Most of the annotations are not dated, and we can only know the decade in which each passage was written.

It has beautifully poetic passages that are not without humor if we want to laugh at our own routine.

The following is a good example when I am waiting for a bus: ". they are the only passengers and seem to be waiting grudgingly for the train that will take them to a destination lacking in mystery."

However, for the most part, the diary entries have not captivated me too much. They are more literary than personal, or at least that's how they seemed to me.

If it were for the edition of this book, I would give it a 5 because it is Fresán's notes that helped me finish it with a certain satisfaction.

Johnny was a hard-dick savage until the very end.

He lived life on his own terms, unyielding and unapologetic. His actions were often brash and bold, but there was a certain charm and authenticity to his roughness.

Some might have seen him as a troublemaker, but those who truly knew him understood that there was more beneath the surface.

Johnny had a heart of gold, hidden beneath his tough exterior. He was fiercely loyal to those he cared about and would do anything to protect them.

His strength and determination were an inspiration to many, and even in the face of adversity, he never backed down.

Respect for Johnny was earned, not given easily. But once you had his respect, it was a bond that would last a lifetime.

I had a hard time getting off to a good start in its reading.

I began and then stopped for a month. After that, I challenged myself to finish it.

Only when I had read 20% of the book did I pick up the pace.

It's a difficult, devastating, and raw book.

Cheever naked and without masks? I didn't know the author before, but now I'm curious to read some of his other books.

It's for tenacious readers.

This book really tested my patience and perseverance.

The writing style is unique and demands a lot from the reader.

But as I delved deeper into it, I started to appreciate its beauty and complexity.

I'm glad I didn't give up on it.

I think it's a book that will stay with me for a long time.

And I'm looking forward to exploring more of Cheever's works.

Maybe his other books will offer a different perspective and reading experience.

I can't wait to find out.

This is a truly remarkable and deeply moving account of a life. It is both heartbreaking and beautiful, in a way that is as profoundly affecting as any of Cheever's stories.

The narrative unfolds with a grace and power that draws the reader in and holds them captive. We are taken on a journey through the highs and lows of this individual's existence, experiencing their joys and sorrows along with them.

The author has a gift for painting vivid pictures with words, making the characters and settings come alive in our minds. We can almost see the faces of the people, feel the emotions they are experiencing, and sense the atmosphere of the places they inhabit.

This is a story that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it, leaving you with a sense of wonder and a deeper understanding of the human condition. It is a testament to the power of storytelling and the ability of a well-crafted narrative to touch our hearts and souls.

There are those visceral books that dig deep within you.

The most intimate dimension of Cheever - John the man and John the writer - is contained within the pages of his diary, spanning the years from the 1930s to the 1980s, in a clear and honest prose.

Cheever doesn't hide his contradictions, his marital crises, his eternal conflict with bisexuality, his sexual impulses, his constant melancholy. And alcohol, the constant companion of his life.

It was Olivia Laing who made me acquainted with this great American author through "To the River", an essay-memoir that tells of the great alcoholic American writers. John Cheever was an unknown among the sacred beasts Hemingway and Fitzgerald, but his story touched me. Sometimes it happens that an author gets under your skin, makes you feel less alone, tears you apart. The same communion of spirit happened with Sylvia Plath, whose diaries I will never stop recommending and which closely align with Cheever's memories.

One of the most beautiful books I have ever read, which made me feel less of an outsider because "the most I can manage in this period is a kind of solitude."

On a crowded tram in Rome at closing time one winter evening, someone accidentally touches my shoulder. I don't turn around to see who it is and I will never know if it's a man or a woman, a hooligan or a priest, but that delicate touch unleashes in me such a desire for tenderness and care that I sigh; I feel my knees give way. It's not a scented sigh of violets nor a Chopinesque spasm: it's something rough and real like the hairs on my belly.

The original text is "great". Here is the expanded and rewritten article:

Great! This simple word holds a world of meaning. It can describe something that is outstanding, remarkable, or of high quality. When we encounter something great, it often leaves us in awe and admiration. It could be a great work of art that触动s our emotions, a great achievement that inspires us to reach for the stars, or a great person who makes a positive impact on the world. The concept of great is subjective, as what one person may consider great, another may not. However, regardless of individual perspectives, there is no denying the power and influence that great things can have. They have the ability to shape our lives, change our perspectives, and leave a lasting legacy. So, let us always strive for greatness in all that we do and appreciate the great things that come our way.

The article was mentioned in the Wall St Journal on 7/16/11 in the "Five Best" section by Adam Ross.

This recognition in a prominent publication like the Wall St Journal gives the article significant credibility and exposure.

Adam Ross's selection of it for the "Five Best" list implies that the article stands out among others in its field.

It likely offers unique insights, valuable information, or a fresh perspective on the topic it covers.

Readers of the Wall St Journal who come across this mention may be intrigued to explore the article further and discover what makes it one of the best.

The combination of being in the Wall St Journal and being recommended by Adam Ross makes this article a must-read for those interested in the subject matter.

It has the potential to influence and inform its readers, and perhaps even spark further discussion and research.

Overall, the mention in the Wall St Journal on 7/16/11 in the "Five Best" by Adam Ross is a significant achievement for the article and its author.

Writers will get it.

And thank God--it is comforting.

Cheever, a remarkable writer, has this unique ability to put all his innermost emotions, be it anxiety, diversions, or even perversions, onto paper.

He bares his soul through his words, allowing readers to peek into the complex and often tumultuous world of his psyche.

This act of laying it all out there is not only a cathartic experience for him but also a source of comfort for those who can relate.

It gives others the sense that they are not alone in their own struggles and that there is someone else who has dared to express the unspoken.

Cheever's writing becomes a kind of refuge, a place where both he and his readers can find solace and understanding.

It is a testament to the power of words and the courage of a writer to be truly honest and vulnerable.