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Pure Drivel Hardcover – September 16, 1998
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Steve Martin's talent has always defied definition: a seasoned actor, a razor-sharp screenwriter, an acclaimed playwright, and, of course, the ingenious comedian who turned King Tut into a national craze. In this widely praised collection of humorous riffs, Martin shows he is a master of the written word.
From a re-imagining of the Schroedinger's Cat conundrum to a wild meditation on who Lolita would be at age fifty to a skit entitled "I Love Loosely", in which Lucy and Ricky Ricardo play the parts of Hillary and President Clinton, this collection by comic genius Steve Martin--some pieces of which have appeared in The New Yorker--is both hilariously funny and intelligent in its skewering of the topic at hand.
Amazon.com Review
"Most vulnerable are writers who work in short, choppy sentences," said a spokesperson for Times Roman, who continued, "We are trying to remedy the situation and have suggested alternatives, like umlauts, since we have plenty of umlauts--and, in fact, have more umlauts than we could possibly use in a lifetime! Don't forget, umlauts can really spice up a page with their delicate symmetry--resting often midway in a word, letters spilling on either side--and not only indicate the pronunciation of a word but also contribute to a writer's greater glory because they're fancy, not to mention that they even look like periods, indeed, are indistinguishable from periods, and will lead casual readers to believe that the article actually contains periods!"
Although some of these pieces flirted with topicality when they first appeared, Martin is most successful when he leaves the real world behind and gives his wit free rein. This collection preserves the best (so far) of his glorious improvisations. --Simon Leake
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From Kirkus Reviews
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"Like the fuzzy little puff of marabou on the instep of a coquette's satin bedroom slipper... Martin's book of diminutive, often hilarious essays [is]...effortless and silly even as it's subtly erudite."―Salon
"Martin is a gorgeous writer capable of being at once melancholy and tart, achingly innocent and astonishingly ironic. He is a master at revealing the surreal poetry in pure drivel."―Elle
About the Author
- Print length112 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHachette Books
- Publication dateSeptember 16, 1998
- Grade level12 and up
- Dimensions5.5 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100786864672
- ISBN-13978-0786864676
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Product details
- Publisher : Hachette Books; First Edition (September 16, 1998)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 112 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0786864672
- ISBN-13 : 978-0786864676
- Grade level : 12 and up
- Item Weight : 8.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #516,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,152 in Humor Essays (Books)
- #1,764 in Essays (Books)
- #4,044 in Fiction Satire
- Customer Reviews:
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About the author
Steve Martin is one of today's most talented performers. His huge successes as a film actor include such credits as ROXANNE, FATHER OF THE BRIDE, PARENTHOOD and THE SPANISH PRISONER. He has won Emmys for his television writing and two Grammys for comedy albums. In addition to the bestselling PURE DRIVEL, he has written several plays, including Picasso at the Lapin Agile and a highly acclaimed novel, SHOPGIRL. His work appears in The New Yorker and The New York Times.
Author photo (c) Sandee Oliver
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When my 9th grader entered high school this year, he decided to join the speech and debate team and compete in the humorous interpretation events. We searched high and low for almost a month to find pieces that could be done at the high school level (not profane) and were not too topical to be outdated. This book fulfilled the need and then some. He has done two separate pieces from Pure Drivel (Side Effects and How I Joined MENSA) to rave reviews.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone longing for educated humor from the master.
I will also say, this book should NOT be listened to on CD. I read and loved the book. Then a few years later I wanted something to listen to so I picked this up at the library. A few of the chapters, like the one on punctuation, are much less funny read aloud.
Some of the chapters which are about writing in itself are humorous to anybody who can see how badly some people write. These chapters include "Writing is Easy!", "Times Roman Announces Shortage of Periods", and a favorite of mine " A Word from the Words." "Side Effects" and "The Hundred Greatest Books I've Read" are also among my favorites. While the stories are short in length, most of them have some sense of closure. Other stories, such as "The Paparazzi of Plato" and "Mars Probe Finds Kittens" show Martin trying too hard to demonstrate intelligent humor. As a result, the joke is more cute than laugh out loud funny.
As a whole, I did enjoy this book. Amazon.com lists Jon Stewart's Naked Pictures ... as a book also enjoyed by readers of this book. However, I think this book is significantly better than Stewart's book.
About 90% of the pieces are clever;
About 60% of the pieces are witty;
About 40% of the pieces are funny (funny enough to cause an audible chortle, guffaw or even a wry smile).
Steve Martin is a very crisp and smart writer. His mastery of the written word and imagination are on full display here and show why he often writes successful movie scripts.
Pure Drivel is a thin collection of short essays Martin wrote for The New Yorker (whose readership I've always thought feels it must support the clever even if it is not concurrently the witty). The topics are as wide ranging as you could imagine: a report on the shortage of an important article of punctuation; a Lucy and Desi script, Lolita (yes, that Lolita) at age fifty (this is a gem), a future report on the devastation caused by the Y3K bug, and assorted other topics not joined by any relation other than birth from the wellspring of Martin's mind.
I read this in three sittings, which I think was a mistake. Sometimes for me, humor collections fall off if taken in too large a bite. I usually laugh out loud at Dave Barry's weekly columns but found his essay collections repetitive. Same for Letterman Top Ten Lists. I would advise the reader to place this book at a convenient location in the bathroom when the five or ten minute literary piece is required for maximum enjoyment.
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Drivelとは「たわごと、ざれごと」という意味。何気なく読んでればユーモア満載の「たわごと」のようだが、何某かの真実が含まれているような気もしてくる。それが、スティーヴ・マーティンの狙いだとすると、彼の毒気(アイロニー)にあたってしまったような気分になる。
比較的、簡単な英語で書かれてはいるが、何せ「笑い」と「皮肉」がメインの本書。ダブル・ミーニングを読み解くのはなかなか難しいかもしれない。