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The Argonauts
by Nelson, Maggie
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Very Good/Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 1555977073
- ISBN 13
- 9781555977078
- Seller
-
Tacoma, Washington, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2015 Book. Very Good. Hardcover. Top corners lightly bumped, dust jacket has a series of small impressions along the lower front edge..
Reviews
On Apr 9 2016, a reader said:
"In Opie's nursing self-portrait, she holds and beholds her son Oliver while he nurses, her Pervert scar still visible, albeit ghosted, across her chest. The ghosted scar offers a rebus of sodomitical maternity: the pervert need not die or even go into hiding per se, but nor is adult sexuality foisted upon the child, made its burden"
The Argonauts is the ninth book by American poet, art critic, lyric essayist and nonfiction author, Maggie Nelson. Described as a memoir, it is more of an opinion piece on LGBTQ+ issues, in particular, transgender and queer. It is told in the first person by Nelson, and addressed to her (fluidly-gendered) "husband", artist, performer and writer Harry Dodge.
Nelson touches on a myriad of topics: gender and identity, motherhood, transgender, queer families, same-sex marriage, writing and death. The opinion pieces contain occasional gems of wisdom, but soon become somewhat preachy, tedious, and boring. Many of the people described have the luxury of indulging in first-world angst, so perhaps this is the intended reader base for this book.
Sometimes the writing is not easily accessible: the concepts are so abstract and high-brow, the sentences so convoluted as to need rereading multiple times; no reader enjoys being made to feel stupid or ignorant. Nelson assumes in the reader familiarity with certain linguists, philosophers, writers, artists, poets, psychoanalysts, and unquestionably a basic knowledge of their works, ideas and concepts would increase the appeal of the book. When she quotes the work of others, her reference appears as a name printed in the margin of the text.
What redeems this work from a lower rating is that Nelson (and sometimes Harry) shares important parts of their lives: their relationship as lovers and their wedding, Harry's steps towards transgender, Nelson's relationship with her stepson, Nelson's stalker, their journey toward parenthood and the birth of their son, Iggy. Harry's account of his mother's passing is quite moving.
Nelson has won the 2015 New York Times Notable Book and the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award (Criticism) for The Argonauts. An unusual memoir.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Else Fine Booksellers (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 000716
- Title
- The Argonauts
- Author
- Nelson, Maggie
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 1555977073
- ISBN 13
- 9781555977078
- Publisher
- Graywolf Press
- Place of Publication
- Minneapolis
- Date Published
- 2015
Terms of Sale
Else Fine Booksellers
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Else Fine Booksellers
Biblio member since 2023
Tacoma, Washington
About Else Fine Booksellers
"Else Fine" is a play on words, perhaps referring to something of value yet slightly worse for wear. It perfectly describes the booksellers at Else Fine, who have been dealing in used and rare books for over 25 years. We specialize in science fiction, interesting ephemera, books on books, radical literature and history, Pacific Northwest Americana, literature, and whatever else catches our eye.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...