The Gay Talese Reader: Portraits and Encounters Paperback – October 1, 2003

Anything anyone wants to know or learn about superb writing of non-fiction ought do little other than take visual strolls through the paths of Gay Tallese's well grown and we'll groomed verbal landscapes. Making the ordinary important, revealing without causing embarrassment to his subjects that which has never before come to public light, showing that strength, courage and old time moxie engage harmoniously with humility are Talese's strengths, never forgetting his precise and colorful prose. To read his articles is to to be permanently transformed by them...you may never look at "simple, " and therefore compellin, reality the same way again. From boxing champions (Floyd Patterson) to entertainment legends (Frank Sinatra) to obscure tailors in small Italian villages (the author's father as a boy) Talese's captures the essences of the purity he finds in each and happily shares them with his readers. I am glad that I am once again one of them.

Gay Talese epitomizes literary journalism, or, as Tom Wolfe coined it, "The New Journalism". He writes articles as if they were short stories; they are character-driven and artfully written with the smoothest prose you'll likely ever read. His most famous stories, like `Frank Sinatra Has a Cold' and `The Silent Season of a Hero', are about famous people. But he preferred to write about common people, often with unique jobs, such as the obituary writer in `Mr. Bad News'. He can make anyone fascinating to read about.This anthology is a good starting point for initiates to Telese's work, though I would have liked some excerpts from his more famous longer works, such as `Honor Thy Father' or `Thy Neighbor's Wife'. Still this collection is so good, it's liable to make you want to run out and buy these other works to enjoy them in their entirety.

This collection of biographical snapshots includes the legendary "Frank Sinatra had a cold" I've already read it several times but I turned to read it first if for no other reason than to enjoy the writing skills of a master.Another gem is his brief on Joe diMaggio.I think Talese has written about half a dozen non- fiction pieces, all of which were new territory and all best sellers. There are two perfectly good reasons this is so, A. He is probablyour best living non-fiction writer and B. His 'take' on his subjects is compassionate, comprehensive and without bias.

I discovered Talese through his sports writing but I have found that he is an excellent writer about any subject area. His eye for minute details about everyday New Yorkers are clever and witty. You get a real sense of the pre-Guliani NYC - A by gone era of cigar chomping men and salacious women. Talese also writes about his personal upbringing with rich details of the immigrant experience his parents went through.

Gay Talese has a gift of capturing the essence of his subject, relaying in a short piece a more nuanced, more complete portrait than is often achieved in a thick biography.Each essay winnowed to an exquisite sketch, conveying the complexity of a life so poetically. A few of the essays are merely quite good but several are brilliant distillations. And who knew that boxers are such interesting people? I certainly didn't.A joy to read.

Each page is a treasure of wonderful writing!I am so happy to have found this book on Amazon .Great condition and packaged well.

I bought this book because I wanted non-fiction with the flair of a novel. This collection of profiles from Talese's magazine articles met the test. Talese's writing is both thoughtful and clever. The subjects are diverse. The famous pieces on Frank Sinatra and Joe DiMaggio are balanced with a surprisingly interesting story about an obituary writer for the New York Times. Each profile reads like a short story. Buy this book.

Everything of his I encounter, especially his ongoing analysis, which is wise in every aspect, and engaging in ways I have never before encounteted.