Saturday, November 05, 2011

About Alice by Calvin Trillin

I know Trillin is famous for his witty essays in the New Yorker, but I'm only an occasional reader of that magazine and somehow his stuff has escaped me thus far. A few weeks ago, however, I saw Calvin Trillin on the Daily Show  He was delightfully funny, and I realized that I was probably missing a lot by not seeking out his work. His new book Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin (even that title is funny) has a long queue at the library, so I picked up About Alice instead. What a sweet book! It's an homage to his late wife and is touching and hilarious at the same time. It's a very short read and a perfect introduction to Trillin. If, like me, you have never quite gotten around to reading anything by him, About Alice is a good place to start.

I've pinned a link to the Daily Show broadcast to my Pinterest board.

(Book 33, 2011)

4 comments:

Lisa Schiffren said...

I don't read him much, either. But he is also a great food writer. He brings real wit and humor, and full foodie passion, to a subject usually smothered in earnestness. I once read a piece by him on the glories of the Pan Bagnat, that had me ready to get on a plane for Nice for ... tuna fish. I learned about the always entertaining Chowhound from him a decade ago.

Sarah Laurence said...

I haven't read Trillin's work either, but I'm a big fan of the Daily Show.

Wiley said...

One of my favorite radio shows, The Book Report, featured an interview with Calvin Trillin last week. You should check it out in the archives on www.bookreportradio.com

DaraR said...

Wiley, I heard that interview too!!!! She did such a great job and I am such a big fan of Calvin Trillin. I look forward to it every week. I actually have a link to the archive if anyone wnats to listen to the exact recording.
http://bookreportradio.com/media/The%20BookReport%20Show%2057%2059-43.mp3

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