[lbo-talk] 'Dutch'

[Dennis Perrin]

Just began reading "Dutch," Edmund Morris's bio of Reagan ("A Memoir" as he cleverly puts it). Only 3 chaps in, and so far it's a delightful read. Morris's prose is poetic, smooth and gracefully descriptive, and his deep backdrop on Reagan explains much about the old actor's later behavior and beliefs. But that's only part of it -- as astute bio-nerds know, "Dutch" is positively avant-garde in its approach. Morris, who was given direct access to the Reagan White House, struggled with the writing early on, not knowing how to handle his elusive subject. Then he hit on a lit-technique in which a fictional version of himself is part of Reagan's story and life. "Morris" and Reagan cross paths many times, and through this perspective we're given, in Morris's view, a closer account of the distant Dutch. 

I recommend the paper edition to the hardcover one. Morris sharpened the paper version, the intro of which tells the story of how the book was commissioned, conceived, written and received. Not only did the Reagan Cultists howl about the book (many of whom hadn't even read the thing), the Ed'cat'd 'Leet turned its surgically-enhanced nose down on it as well. "Dutch" did garner some serious, positive reviews, but clearly it was/is not for everyone.

DP
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <../attachments/20040111/2592f585/attachment.htm>