The Anthologist is narrated by Paul Chowder -- a once-in-a-while-published kind of poet who is writing the introduction to a new anthology of poetry. He's having a hard time getting started because his career is floundering, his girlfriend Roz has recently left him, and he is thinking about the great poets throughout history who have suffered far worse and deserve to feel sorry for themselves. He has also promised to reveal many wonderful secrets and tips and tricks about poetry, and it looks like the introduction will be a little longer than he'd thought.
What unfolds is a wholly entertaining and beguiling love story about poetry: from Tennyson, Swinburne, and Yeats to the moderns (Roethke, Bogan, Merwin) to the staff of The New Yorker, what Paul reveals is astonishing and makes one realize how incredibly important poetry is to our lives. At the same time, Paul barely manages to realize all of this himself, and the result is a tenderly romantic, hilarious, and inspired novel.
I think Nicholson Baker is one of the of the greatest American writers. I read very little fiction, but this kept me rapt. Probably not for everyone; some will consider it slow. But that's what I really liked about it!
Other reviewers have said most of the important things about this book except the two most obvious things:
1. This must be one of the funniest books of the year. I had to read it in short bursts because I found myself laughing aloud at every second page - indeed, often crying with laughter.
. There simply has to be an audio version of this on offer soon - preferably read by an accomplished actor. In fact there should be a version for a one-man stage show.
