How to Talk about Books You Haven`t Read

Pierre Bayard, a Paris University literature professor and intellectual provocateur, has written a devilishly clever book, a bestseller in his native France, about how (and why) to fake your knowledge of literature. Bayard confesses to skimming Proust and lecturing on texts he`s never read. Though somewhat tongue-in-cheek, HOW TO TALK ABOUT BOOKS YOU HAVEN`T READ is not strictly a manual for making yourself look smart at cocktail parties. Bayard clearly loves books, and he argues--in a pleasing mixture of French high-theory and accessible wit--that to live with books, indeed to love books, one must choose a few to truly commit oneself to, and have a more fleeting relationship with the rest. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.