William Faulkner allegedly once made a comment about Thomas Wolfe, suggesting that he might have possessed the most talent among their generation of writers. Ernest Hemingway, however, had a rather different opinion, referring to him as "the over-bloated Li'l Abner of literature." After finally getting around to reading "Look Homeward, Angel," I can somewhat understand both of their viewpoints.

On one hand, the writing in this novel is truly exquisite. I found myself constantly highlighting sentences and paragraphs that I adored. For instance, consider this passage: "Each of us is all the sums he has not counted; subtract us into nakedness and night again, and you shall see begin in Crete four thousand years ago the love that ended yesterday in Texas." Or this beautiful sentence: "The old church, with its sharp steeple, rotted slowly, decently, prosperously, like a good man's life, down into its wet lichened brick." And this one is also remarkable: "A slow trickle of lust crawled painfully down the parched gulley of desire, and ended feebly in dry fumbling lechery." It's truly amazing. Moreover, it's difficult to envision a more poignant account of a death than the one presented towards the end of this novel.

But if we take Hemingway's side for a moment, it must be admitted that the novel does tend to wander and meander, taking an inordinate amount of time to reach its destination. There isn't really a proper plot beyond the autobiographical elements, and even then, we are treated to a (very) lengthy account of his parents, their history, their meeting and courtship, and the birth of his siblings before we even reach the birth of our main character. I believe it was around 500 or 600 pages (I read it on Kindle, so I'm not entirely certain), and that's after his editor had cut 60,000 words. I read somewhere that Pat Conroy considered reading this book one of the pivotal moments of his life and stated that his writing career began on the day he read "Look Homeward, Angel." I can indeed see many similarities to Conroy's often oversized yet beautifully written novels.

Ultimately, I have decided that I love this book, flaws and all. I'm disappointed that Wolfe isn't read as much anymore, and I would highly recommend taking the time (a significant amount of time) to read this wonderfully crafted book.

This book truly had a profound impact on my life.

Recently, after watching the movie "Genius" and reading the screenplay, my curiosity led me to search for the unedited manuscript, "O Lost".

I was completely spellbound by each and every virgin paragraph within it.

The words seemed to leap off the page and transport me into a different world.

As I read those lines, such as "Each moment is the fruit of forty thousand years. The minute-winning days, like flies, buzz home to death, and every moment is a window on all time.", I was struck by the beauty and depth of the author's thoughts.

Another quote that really resonated with me was "We are not those characters we want to be. We're those characters we are."

It made me reflect on my own life and the importance of being true to myself.

From this experience, I not only realized the value of a well-revised manuscript but also came to appreciate the charm of a cluttered one.

Sometimes, a manuscript with misused grammar and misspelled words can have more life and personality than a boring, perfectly polished one.

It shows the author's raw creativity and the journey of their ideas.

I am grateful to have discovered this unedited manuscript and to have had the opportunity to explore its unfiltered essence.

It has opened my eyes to a new way of looking at writing and has inspired me to embrace the imperfections in my own work.

Eugene thought of the beautiful institution of human slavery, which his slaveless maternal ancestry had fought so valiantly to preserve.

I carried this book along with me, aiming to remind myself of the small southern town I was about to leave for a year. However, what it actually did was to remind me of those people who love my part of the country not for what it truly is, but for their misconstrued and harmful concept of what it represents. This unremittingly offensive book, even for the era it was written in, was in desperate need of a better editor and a change in perspective.

Even those parts that had the potential to be fascinating, like a firsthand account of UNC's campus during the years of WWI, were instead depicted as a series of events that the author seemingly endured alone. It comes as no surprise that Wolfe became an outcast in his hometown. His unsympathetic and self-righteous character descriptions lacked any depth beyond the role they apparently played in his own life. It is a miserable read by a miserable man who clearly had the intellect to write beautifully but lacked the ability to convey anything worthy of being read.

I don't think it is possible for an author to use any more words and talk about anything less boring.

It seems that the author has reached a point where they are stretching the content to an extreme. Using an excessive number of words often leads to a loss of clarity and conciseness.

Moreover, the topic being discussed may not be inherently interesting, and the author's attempt to pad it with more words only makes it even more tiresome.

Readers are likely to become disengaged when they encounter such verbose and uninteresting writing.

Authors should strive to convey their ideas effectively and engagingly, using only the necessary words to make their point.

This way, they can capture the attention of their readers and keep them interested throughout the piece.

Less is often more when it comes to writing, and authors should keep this in mind to avoid producing content that is both wordy and dull.

4.5 RTC

Real-time communication (RTC) has become an essential part of our digital lives. It enables seamless and instantaneous interaction between individuals and groups, regardless of their geographical locations.

With the advancement of technology, RTC has evolved to offer more features and capabilities. It now supports high-quality audio and video calls, screen sharing, and real-time messaging.

These features have made RTC an indispensable tool for businesses, educational institutions, and individuals alike.

For businesses, RTC facilitates efficient collaboration among employees, enhances customer service, and enables remote work.

Educational institutions use RTC to conduct online classes, hold virtual meetings, and provide students with access to educational resources.

For individuals, RTC allows for easy communication with friends and family, regardless of distance.

In conclusion, 4.5 RTC represents a significant milestone in the evolution of real-time communication. Its ability to connect people in real-time and offer a wide range of features has transformed the way we communicate and collaborate.

As technology continues to advance, we can expect RTC to become even more integrated into our daily lives, offering new and exciting possibilities for communication and interaction.

DNF at page 150

This is a white boy coming of age story that was written in the 1920s. Initially, I didn't anticipate liking this particular piece. However, given that I reside so close to Asheville, NC, I felt compelled to give it a try. I thought it might offer some local context or perhaps a unique perspective. But as I reached page 150, I've come to the conclusion that I've given it a fair chance. While it may have had some interesting elements, it just didn't fully engage me. Maybe it was the writing style, or perhaps the story didn't develop in a way that held my attention. At this point, I feel it's time for me to move on and explore other literary works that might better suit my interests. There are so many great books out there waiting to be discovered, and I'm eager to see what else lies ahead.

Caótico, largo, tedioso y una enorme decepción. Estos son los términos que mejor describen mi experiencia reciente. Todo comenzó de manera desordenada, sin un plan claro ni una dirección precisa. El proceso resultó ser extremadamente largo, prolongándose más allá de lo que cabía esperar. Y lo peor es que fue tedioso en extremo, sin ningún momento que destacara o que pudiera mantener mi interés. En definitiva, fue una enorme decepción, ya que esperaba algo completamente diferente. Me sentí frustrado y decepcionado con el resultado final. Sin duda, esta es una experiencia que no deseo repetir en el futuro.

Thomas Wolfe's classic quasi-autobiographical coming of age novel had been sitting on my bookshelf for years, in fact, for decades. It was quietly rebuking me for my failure to crack it open. Now that I've finally read it, I truly wish I had done so when I was much younger. Ideally, it would have been when I was an undergraduate English major at a university just several miles away from the university in “Pulpit Hill” attended by Wolfe's protagonist, Eugene Gant. I firmly believe that if I had read it then, first, I might have had more patience for Wolfe's Faulknerian writing style. Second, Eugene Gant's story might have resonated with me more powerfully than it does now.

I can indeed appreciate a great deal of the beauty in Wolfe's lyrical and poetic style. However, I must admit that there were numerous occasions when I thought it was a bit excessive. I found myself silently urging Wolfe/Eugene to just move on with the story. I found Eugene's view of Shakespeare rather ironic. He thought, “it seemed to him, moreover, that Shakespeare often spoke absurdly and pompously when he might better have spoken simply.”

That being said, the story of Eugene's intense desire to break away from the dysfunctional Gant family is truly compelling. It also serves as a means through which Wolfe addresses profound questions about life, death, love, loss, war, and the impermanence of humans and their achievements. These are questions that are always worthy of our deep pondering.

Does Eugene manage to get away? Near the end of the book, he has a vision in which he converses with his (dead) brother Ben about his longing to experience the world. “‘Where, Ben? Where is the world?’ ‘Nowhere,’ Ben said. ‘You are your world.’”

Warning: This book was published by a Southern writer in 1929. There is frequent and casual use of the “n-word.”

Thomas Wolfe, a truly legendary author, stands on par with literary greats like William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor. In 1929, he published his first novel, "Look Homeward, Angel." This remarkable work delved into the story of a young man consumed by a burning desire to break free from his small town and the tumultuous family that held him back. It was a powerful exploration of longing and the search for a better life.

With this novel, Wolfe gave the world undeniable proof of his genius. It not only launched his career but also set in motion a powerful legacy that would endure through the ages.

"Look Homeward, Angel" is the kind of book that readers expect will never end soon. It has received high praise, with ratings such as 4.5. Alongside it, other notable works by Wolfe include "You Can't Go Home Again," "The Web and the Rock," and "Of Time and the River." These books further showcase his unique literary style and profound insights into the human condition.

Thomas Wolfe's contributions to literature are significant, and his works continue to captivate readers and inspire generations of writers.

Another novel that was simply sitting on the shelf, patiently waiting to be discovered and devoured. Although I don't typically consume a large quantity of autobiographical fiction, this particular one proved to be a worthwhile read. In my personal opinion, it was perhaps a bit overly written. However, the author's insanely impressionistic prose truly enhanced the storytelling, making it a captivating experience. Larry McCaffrey, in his outstanding list titled "The 20th Century’s Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction", aptly described 'Look Homeward, Angel' as "Whitmanesque", which I believe is a very fitting comparison. (He had it ranked at #95.)

I am truly glad that I finally got around to reading this book. The Giant family is quite the interesting bunch! It surprises me that I didn't come across this book during my school days, or that more schools don't assign it for reading. I suspect the foul language might be a deterrent in some educational settings.

Nonetheless, it is a book that offers a unique perspective and a rich exploration of family, identity, and the human condition. I would highly recommend it to those who are willing to overlook the occasional roughness in language and embrace the beauty and depth of the story.

\\n  

“. . . a stone, a leaf, an unfounded door; of a stone, a leaf, a door. And of all the forgotten faces.
Naked and alone we came into exile. In her dark womb we did not know our mother’s face; from the prison of her flesh have we come into the unspeakable and incommunicable prison of this earth.
Which of us has known his brother? Which of us has looked into his father’s heart? Which of us has not remained forever prison-pent? Which of us is not forever a stranger and alone?
O waste of loss, in the hot mazes, lost, among bright stars on this most weary unbright cinder, lost! Remembering speechlessly we seek the great forgotten language, the lost lane-end into heaven, a stone, a leaf, an unfound door. Where? When?
O lost and by the wind grieved, ghost, come back again.”

\\n

And so begins Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe, published in 1929. This is the coming-of-age story of Eugene Gant, born in 1900, the ninth and last child of William Oliver and Eliza Gant in the fictional town of Altemont. The novel is largely autobiographical, inspired by Wolfe's hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, where he was also born in 1900.

The book beautifully describes the North Carolina landscape, with the Blueridge Mountains as a backdrop. Thomas Wolfe, often compared to William Faulkner and James Joyce, is known for his sprawling writing style and stream of consciousness.

This work focuses on the first two decades of the 20th century, including the beginning and end of World War I. It also explores the history of the Gant family. The thread of angels throughout the narrative is a beautiful metaphor that enriches the story. WO Gant, a stonecutter, was in love with the stone angels from Carrara, Italy, and had one outside his shop.

\\n  

”. . . the reeking messiness of Gant’s fantastical brick shack, the great interior dustiness of the main room in front, sagging with gravestones—small polished slabs from Georgia, blunt ugly masses of Vermont granite, modest monuments with an urn, a cherub figure, or a couchant lamb, ponderous fly-specked angels from Carrara in Italy which he bought at great cost and never sold—they were the joy of his heart.”

“For six years it had stood on the porch, weathering in tall the wind and the rain. It was now brown and fly-specked. But it had come from Carrara in Italy, and it held a stone lily delicately in one hand. The other hand was lifted in benediction, it was poised clumsily upon the ball of one phthisic foot, and its stupid white face w0re a smile of soft stone idiocy.”

“The Square lay under blazing moonlight. The fountain pulsed with a steady breezeless jet: the water fell upon the pool with a punctual slap. No one came into the Square.
The chimes of the bank’s clock struck the quarter after three as Eugene entered from the northern edge, by Academy Street.
He came slowly over past the fire department and the City Hall. On Gant’s corner, the Square dipped sharply down toward Niggertown, as if it had been bent at the edge.
Eugene saw his father’s name, faded on the old brick in moonlight. On the stone porch of the shop the angels held their marble posture. They seemed to have frozen, in the moonlight.”

“Yet, as he stood for the last time by the angels of his father’s porch, it seemed as if the Square already were far and lost; or, I should say, he was like a man who stands upon a hill above a town he has left, yet does not say ‘The town is near,’ but turns his eyes upon the distant soaring ranges.”

\\n

This book is truly a masterpiece, yet it's one that I wouldn't recommend even to my worst enemy.

It is incredibly dense, with repetitive and overly descriptive passages that seem to go on to the nth degree. Page after page is filled with infuriating and hard-to-like characters, and the story moves at a glacial pace, much like molasses.

However, it is also possibly the most beautifully written, poetic, and longing book I've ever read. Over the course of the last month and a half, during one of the most difficult and trying periods of my life, I've variously cradled it and put it aside.

Losing my job, having a week-long separation from my wife due to disagreement and then returning to unresolved strife, the pressure of finding new work and handling a difficult freelance job, the problems of my sons, and financial worries - all these personal challenges made reading about the madness and banalities of a small-town Southern family before and after World War I the last thing I really wanted to deal with.

And because of all the things going on, I really have no time to give it the justice of a proper review now. It is a great book; Wolfe was clearly in love with his own genius and mad skills and shows them off for all to see. It may be too much at times, but I can't penalize the man for being talented and brilliant.

Oddly, though, I often felt he was better at describing places, things, and moods than people. I wasn't always sure I quite understood the minds of some of the major characters. Even though they do at times evoke sympathy, or more accurately, pity, for their shortsightedness and shortcomings, I also felt at times they remained archetypes.

Nonetheless, I just need to leave it at that for now. I'm proud that I've finished a book that probably has been more abandoned than finished by a majority of readers who've attempted it.

2016 Addendum: I almost wish I had put more effort into this review, which I consider to be one of my worst. It has been one of my most popular ones on Goodreads, read by quite a few people. There's a lot of raw emotion in it, and maybe that's what everyone likes about it. But I wish I had made more concrete and objective observations on the book and its themes.

As you can see in the review, I was in a difficult personal situation at the time and was unable to mentally compartmentalize in the way necessary to do that. What struck me today (May 9, 2016) was this novel's absence from the famous/infamous Modern Library Top 100 novels list, where it clearly belongs instead of such banal works as Arthur Koestler's Darkness at Noon, for example. As a corrective, there is an alternate Radcliffe's Rival 100 Novels list, which I may add to my reading shelves, and therein Look Homeward, Angel has found its rightful place.