(Farrar, Straus and Giroux) This collection of essays exposes the infatuations, quirks, and fears of its author through personal pieces; riffs on art, music, sex, and celebrity; playful pieces like “Assignments” in which he lists a series of unorthodox writing instructions for his students; and critical essays in which he wrestles with major cultural figures. Koestenbaum is a poet and cultural critic who has written numerous poems and essays. He is a Distinguished Professor of English at the City University of New York Graduate Center.
