About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherTin House Books, LLC

ISBN-100982504888

ISBN-139780982504888

eBay Product ID (ePID)80469204

Product Key Features

Book TitleMentor : a Memoir

Number of Pages200 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2010

TopicAuthorship, Personal Memoirs, American / General, Literary, Higher, Composition & Creative Writing

GenreLiterary Criticism, Language Arts & Disciplines, Education, Biography & Autobiography

AuthorTom Grimes

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.9 in

Item Weight20 oz

Item Length8.8 in

Item Width5.8 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2010-007124

Dewey Edition22

Reviews"Employing a constant tension of ambivalence--shame and tenderness, pride and humility--Grimes proves in this stunningly forthright, forlorn memoir that his great subject is Conroy himself."--Publishers Weekly, starred review "Grimes delivers an eloquent portrait of the writer's life. . . Without wasting a word, Grimes presents a thoroughly readable view of how stories and writers, at least of a certain kind, are made."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Grimes' staggering self-critique, keen tribute to Conroy as writer and mentor, and hard-won insights into the true demands of writing and the deep resonance of literature are arresting and cautionary, inspiring and affecting."--Booklist, starred review "It's such a mesmerizing book I read it in one sitting." --John Matthew Fox, BookFox "One of the truest accounts of a writer's life--of two writers' lives--I've yet seen. A poignant and beautiful book." --T.C. Boyle "What Tom has produced has surpassed all my expectations: it is intensely personal, moving, powerful and insightful.Mentoris a must read for people who write and for every reader who has wondered about the mysterious alchemy that produces a writer." --Abraham Verghese, author ofCutting for Stone "It's astonishing how much insight, passion, pain, joy, self-doubt, and sheer love Tom Grimes has managed to pack into this tightly made memoir of his relationship with the writer Frank Conroy. Not only doesMentoroffer an honest and compelling account of the struggles of a writer at the onset of his career, but this immaculately composed memoir also draws an enduring and eerily lifelike portrait of Frank Conroy. For me, it was as if Conroy had somehow risen from the dead before my eyes, with all his impish zest and stern earnestness and voluble wisdom.Mentoris a beautiful, beautiful book--a monument both to Frank Conroy and to the writer's terrifying quest for artistic excellence." --Tim O'Brien, author ofThe Things They Carried "Mentoris a touching memoir about one of those rare encounters in life, where the deep connection between two human beings transcends time and death. It is about artists and their arts, fathers and sons, families and friends, and above all, love that allows each generation of artists to dream and create on the shoulders of their mentors."--Yiyun Li, author ofThe Vagrants "Tom Grimes has written a most affecting book. Part memoir and part homage to his mentor, Frank Conroy, it is also an extremely candid meditation on the writing life, both its joys and its pains. Anyone who has ever been on either side of the mentor-student relationship will catch glimpses of himself in this remarkable memoir." --Scott Anderson, author ofTriage "Tom Grimes has written a beautiful book, as muscular, honest and lasting as the gift he received.Mentor, A Memoirbelongs on the shelf of every writer, every teacher, every reader."--Jayne Anne Phillips, author ofLark & Termite "Mentoris a tender, tough, and appropriately bewildered look into the heart of the Iowa Writers' Workshop--indeed, into what it means to be a writer of ambition altogether. It is also a magnificent double portrait of two fiction writers, rendered in fine, piercing, fond, and ruthless prose--and, above all, a love letter to a teacher."--Elizabeth McCracken, author ofAn Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination of a Figment of My Imagination "Mentoris a fine and unique achievement. It's moving as the record of a first rate writer's early career. But its uniqueness lies in its treatment of something quite ineffable, the way in which a major artist can nourish the talent, "From now on, anyone who dreams of becoming a novelist will need to read Tom Grime's brutally honest and wonderfulMentor."—Michael Dirda,The Washington Post "Employing a constant tension of ambivalence—shame and tenderness, pride and humility—Grimes proves in this stunningly forthright, forlorn memoir that his great subject is Conroy himself."—Publishers Weekly, starred review Grimes delivers an eloquent portrait of the writer's life. . . Without wasting a word, Grimes presents a thoroughly readable view of how stories and writers, at least of a certain kind, are made."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Grimes' staggering self-critique, keen tribute to Conroy as writer and mentor, and hard-won insights into the true demands of writing and the deep resonance of literature are arresting and cautionary, inspiring and affecting."—Booklist, starred review "Ultimately,Mentor: A Memoircan best be summarized in the following: I couldn't put it down . . .Mentorcaptivated me."—BlogCritics.org "It's such a mesmerizing book I read it in one sitting." —John Matthew Fox, BookFox "One of the truest accounts of a writer's life--of two writers' lives--I've yet seen. A poignant and beautiful book." —T.C. Boyle What Tom has produced has surpassed all my expectations: it is intensely personal, moving, powerful and insightful.Mentoris a must read for people who write and for every reader who has wondered about the mysterious alchemy that produces a writer." —Abraham Verghese, author ofCutting for Stone "It's astonishing how much insight, passion, pain, joy, self-doubt, and sheer love Tom Grimes has managed to pack into this tightly made memoir of his relationship with the writer Frank Conroy. Not only doesMentoroffer an honest and compelling account of the struggles of a writer at the onset of his career, but this immaculately composed memoir also draws an enduring and eerily lifelike portrait of Frank Conroy. For me, it was as if Conroy had somehow risen from the dead before my eyes, with all his impish zest and stern earnestness and voluble wisdom.Mentoris a beautiful, beautiful book—a monument both to Frank Conroy and to the writer's terrifying quest for artistic excellence." —Tim O'Brien, author ofThe Things They Carried "Mentoris a touching memoir about one of those rare encounters in life, where the deep connection between two human beings transcends time and death. It is about artists and their arts, fathers and sons, families and friends, and above all, love that allows each generation of artists to dream and create on the shoulders of their mentors."—Yiyun Li, author ofThe Vagrants "Tom Grimes has written a most affecting book. Part memoir and part homage to his mentor, Frank Conroy, it is also an extremely candid meditation on the writing life, both its joys and its pains. Anyone who has ever been on either side of the mentor-student relationship will catch glimpses of himself in this remarkable memoir." —Scott Anderson, author ofTriage "Tom Grimes has written a beautiful book, as muscular, honest and lasting as the gift he received.Mentor, A Memoirbelongs on the shelf of every writer, every teacher, every reader."—Jayne Anne Phillips, author ofLark & Termite "Mentoris a tender, tough, and appropriately bewildered look into the heart of the Iowa Writers' Workshop—indeed, into what it means to be a writer of ambition altogether. It is also a magnificent double portrait of two fiction writers, rendered in fine, piercing, fond, and ruthless prose—and, above all, a love letter to a teacher."—Elizabeth McCracken, author o

Dewey Decimal813/.54 B

SynopsisAn intimate look at the writing life, the famed Iowa Writers' Workshop, the fickle publishing world, and an extraordinary friendship with Frank Conroy. A chance encounter between two writers, one young, one older, develops into a wonderful friendship neither expected. Frank Conroy, author of the classic memoir Stop-Time, meets Tom Grimes, an aspiring writer and an applicant to the Iowa Writers' Workshop, which Conroy directs. First as teacher and student--and gradually as friends--their lives become entwined, and through both successes and disappointments, their bond deepens.Exquisitely written, Mentor is an honest and heartbreaking exploration of the writing life and the role of a very important teacher., An intimate look at the writing life, the famed Iowa Writers' Workshop, the fickle publishing world, and an extraordinary friendship with Frank Conroy., A chance encounter between two writers, one young, one older, develops into a wonderful friendship neither expected. Frank Conroy, author of the classic memoir Stop-Time, meets Tom Grimes, an aspiring writer and an applicant to the Iowa Writers' Workshop, which Conroy directs. First as teacher and student--and gradually as friends--their lives become entwined, and through both successes and disappointments, their bond deepens. Exquisitely written, Mentor is an honest and heartbreaking exploration of the writing life and the role of a very important teacher.

LC Classification NumberPS3557.R489985Z46