I just finished listening to Nicholson Baker’s 2009 novel, The Anthologist. It is a meta-fictional exploration of the creative process and really gets into the technicalities of poetry, particularly rhyme.
The protagonist, Paul Chowder, is a poet. Baker has said in interviews that while he isn't a poet himself, he shares Chowder’s obsession with rhyme and meter. Through Chowder, Baker delivers highly technical "lectures" on the 4-beat line, the history of iambic pentameter, and how these things are used by certain poets. Paul is a middle-aged, moderately successful poet tasked with writing the introduction to a new poetry anthology titled Only Rhyme. But he is stalled by procrastination. He has selected the poems, but he cannot seem to write a single word of the introduction.
His struggle is mixed with his personal life. His long-term girlfriend, Roz, has recently moved out because she is tired of his inability to move forward with his work and his life.
Poets should enjoy his deep dives into the lives and techniques of poets like John Dryden, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Louise Bogan, and Elizabeth Bishop. He treats these historical figures like personal friends or neighbors.
I'm not a big fan of rhyme in modern poetry, but I liked the lessons and anecdotes about poets. His introduction becomes a meditation on how we use art to make sense of our failures and our loves.
After I finished the book, I stumbled on "Endymion" by John Keats and took a closer look than usual at the rhyme.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases, it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleepA thing of beauty is a joy forever.
Its loveliness increases,
it will never pass into nothingness
but still will keep a bower quiet for usFull of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearthOf noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made of our searching; yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits.
The rhyme still doesn't work for me the way it does for Paul Chowder or Keats.
I have read almost all of Baker's books. Here are 4 that I enjoyed.
The Fermata (1994) is my favorite of his novels. A provocative and controversial story that blends magical realism with erotica. It follows a man who can stop time by snapping his fingers (a move he calls "The Fold"). While time is frozen, he moves through the world unobserved, and spends part of his stopped time (Can you spend stopped time?) doing what any adolescent male would do with that power - though the protagonist is an adult - and that's why the book is frequently debated for its "ethical implications" and its "voyeuristic" premise. One reviewer called it a "X-rated sci-fi fantasy," which will either intrigue you or turn you off.
U and I is non-fiction about Baker's obsession with John Updike, though he hasn't met him. I am a big fan of Updike's writing, so I could identify.
The Mezzanine (1988) was Baker’s debut and is known for its hyper-focus on the mundane details of daily life. The entire novel takes place during a single lunch hour as the narrator, Howie, buys a pair of shoelaces and returns to his office via an escalator. It has Baker’s signature style of minute observations (here, footnotes) —such as the mechanics of a straw, the design of a paper-towel dispenser, or the philosophy of office etiquette. I know it doesn't sound like a page-turner but it will surprise you.
Vox (1992) was a commercial success. That might be surprising as it consists entirely of a single phone conversation between two strangers on a pay-per-minute erotic chat line. It was a New York Times bestseller and gained some notoriety when it was revealed that Monica Lewinsky had given a copy to President Bill Clinton. But more importantly, it shows mastery of dialogue and human connection through technology decades before AI was all the buzz.
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