False Papers: Essays on Exile and Memory

Sublime treatise on the nature of longing, memory, emplacement, exile, and desire. Seldom have I read works that speak so truthfully about one’s pilgrimages through the human condition.

The book consists mostly of essays with the addition of one or two short stories. The thread connecting all the pieces is the feeling of longing for someplace or someone. Aciman is masterful in being able to put into beautifully expressed words the sense of longing and nostalgia. For anyone grappling with the phantom pain of missing someone who is no longer around or a place you no longer inhabit, this book will be a treasure. This is my second Aciman following the terrific Out of Egypt. Enigma Variations will be my third. To get a sense of his writing style google his name and the word Lavender to read one of his most beautiful essays.

Aciman is one of the greatest writers of the century. I read everything that he writes. This is an excellent compilation.

Too much nostalgia, indecision. He looks back, he looks forward but never seems satisfied with his life as it is.

Aciman's essay about Strauss Park in New York is one of the most brilliant pieces of writing about urban and international life and identity. I read it again and again and pass it along to friends who always agree. His writings on Alexandria and other topics carry the same sensitivity and gravitas, always a pleasure to read but moreover to inspire thoughtful contemplation of the roads he has taken me down.

An excellent writer.

profound and moving

Purchase: I recived a used copy, different edition than pictured.Book: Beautifully written, insightful essays in both content and craft.

I would give this to anyone who enjoys good writing. It explores the history of a region within personal stories.

This was just too boring, too much waffle about nothing. I really didn't enjoy it , unlike his other books.