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Book Review - Cool and deep, writer thinks well
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Published: January 10, 2010
ESSAYS. By Wallace Shawn. Haymarket Books. 186 pages. $18.95.
Wallace Shawn's world is not a knee-jerk world.
Rather than indulge in a superficial understanding of events and the type of shallow opinions that sometimes seem to consume our political and religious discourse, Shawn possesses a more contemplative and insightful view that we might wish all commentators and political leaders to possess. This collection of essays, summarized in one word, would be "depth."
Readers' familiarity with Shawn may depend on their exposure to films such as My Dinner With Andre, The Moderns and The Princess Bride. He is also known for his work as a playwright, winning the Obie in 1975 for his play, Our Late Night, and 1991 for The Fever (two of several plays he has written). But one needn't be familiar with him at all to be illuminated by this short collection.
These essays, previously presented in various publications, are roughly divided into two sections called "Reality" and "Dream-World," the second dealing mostly with his professional, artistic life, while the first discusses political and philosophical topics. The first set of essays is the more substantial; the second seems almost trivial afterward. His thoughts can seem brooding and guilt-ridden, but they are also creative, imaginative and inspiring. The personal elements in his essays are revealing and endearing. Shawn is especially good at presenting illustrations -- it's tempting to write "parables" -- to make his points.
In the reality section, he takes on such topics as social caste; the destruction of the World Trade Center; President Bush's preparation for pre-emptive war; and Israel's treatment of those who live in Gaza. Outstanding is his 1985 essay "Morality," which he defines in part as, "how a person would behave if he believed all human beings to be equally real."
In the dream-world section, Shawn talks about how he got involved in the theater, the nature of art and one of the recurring themes in his work, sex.
Shawn has no illusions about his place in the world as he takes on weighty topics: He realizes that he is of a privileged class, "destined to live a comfortable life," he writes, producing art that will be seen and appreciated by a relative elite few. It may be this very background, though, combined with his culturally rich upbringing, that allows him an almost Buddha-like compassion for others who differ from him significantly. There is a bit of overlap in the reality/dream-world themes as he considers whether his role in the arts could help improve the world. This book, if widely read, certainly could.
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