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ISBN: 9781039007529
Sheila Heti collected 500,000 words from a decade's worth of journals, put the sentences in a spreadsheet, and sorted them alphabetically. She cut and cut and was left with 60,000 words of brilliance and mayhem, joy and sorrow. These are her alphabetical diaries.
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Summary
Summary
Sheila Heti collected 500,000 words from a decade's worth of journals, put the sentences in a spreadsheet, and sorted them alphabetically. She cut and cut and was left with 60,000 words of brilliance and mayhem, joy and sorrow. These are her alphabetical diaries.
Editorial Reviews
Editorial Reviews
A thought-provoking experiment in self-reflection and prose, Alphabetical Diaries is perhaps Sheila Heti’s most intimate and most universal book yet. —Shelf Awareness
[Alphabetical Diaries] breaks new ground. . . . With Heti at the helm, this book is exciting, radical, and clever. . . . Just brilliant. —AnOther Magazine
“Sheila Heti is a master of form, constantly expanding the bounds of fiction while expertly defamiliarizing the experience of being human, ultimately drawing you closer to it. —Nylon
A thought-provoking experiment in self-reflection and prose, Alphabetical Diaries is perhaps Sheila Heti’s most intimate and most universal book yet. —Shelf Awareness
“An arresting literary experiment. —Publishers Weekly
Powerful and intimate. . . . [Alphabetical Diaries] is made up of Heti’s frank, funny, filthy, and casually philosophical diaries, ten years of them. . . . Heti has written a small classic; she has shot a lasting arrow into the hide of the memoir form. . . . A profound experience. —Dwight Garner, The New York Times
“[Alphabetical Diaries] burrows so deeply into a single psyche that it transcends the personal, as if emerging from one collective, neurotic consciousness. . . . The [result] is exhilarating: both intimate and withholding, repetitive and generative. . . . A monologue that is meditative, propulsive and yet yearning, like a chant, a mantra or a prayer.’ —The New Statesman
“From romantic hang-ups and desire to anxiety and ennui, [Heti’s] curated diaries articulate daily life’s ordinary and routine melodramas. — Brooklyn Rail
“A radical adventure in form . . . by one of our best living authors. —The Washington Post
“Fascinating. . . . An enthralling experiment. . . . Heti is amusingly self-effacing . . . and wise. . . . The alphabetised sentences give the book momentum and entertaining accidents of language create intriguing micro-stories on every page. . . . [A] picture of a committed, inventive, sincere writer and the times she lives in. —iNews
Inventive, achingly intimate, and vulnerable, [Alphabetical Diaries is] a refreshing experiment with how a sentence lands without further context. A true testament to, a celebration of, and a masterclass in the art of sentences. —Paste Magazine
“[Alphabetical Diaries] burrows so deeply into a single psyche that it transcends the personal, as if emerging from one collective, neurotic consciousness. . . . The [result] is exhilarating: both intimate and withholding, repetitive and generative. . . . A monologue that is meditative, propulsive and yet yearning, like a chant, a mantra or a prayer.’ —The New Statesman“Alphabetical Diaries feels like the apotheosis of [Heti’s] writing style: a book that uses a rigid structural discipline to intimately lay bare the inherently chaotic, even arbitrary nature of consciousness. . . . Heti . . . has turned the pitfalls of the diary form—the relentless self-absorption, the combination of trivia and pathos—into a dazzling aesthetic virtue. Like a hologram, this book refracts an endlessly shifting light. . . . The results are strangely moving.
“Fascinating. . . . An enthralling experiment. . . . Heti is amusingly self-effacing . . . and wise. . . . The alphabetised sentences give the book momentum and entertaining accidents of language create intriguing micro-stories on every page. . . . [A] picture of a committed, inventive, sincere writer and the times she lives in. —iNews
Inventive, achingly intimate, and vulnerable, [Alphabetical Diaries is] a refreshing experiment with how a sentence lands without further context. A true testament to, a celebration of, and a masterclass in the art of sentences. —Paste Magazine
“Each book that Heti has written has pressed further into the possibilities of what fiction can be while staying grounded in the mining of the self. . . . The genius of [Alphabetical Diaries] is in how broadly human and carefully constructed it also feels. —The Los Angeles Times
[Alphabetical Diaries] breaks new ground. . . . With Heti at the helm, this book is exciting, radical, and clever. . . . Just brilliant. —AnOther Magazine
“Vacillating between the mundane, the shocking, and the aphoristic, Alphabetical Diaries constantly drew me into its gravitational pull. . . . The rhythm and randomness of Heti’s voice whispering from different points in time creates an intoxicating trance. . . . Alphabetical Diaries achieves something . . . sacred. —Bookforum“Sheila Heti is a master of form, constantly expanding the bounds of fiction while expertly defamiliarizing the experience of being human, ultimately drawing you closer to it.
“An arresting literary experiment. —Publishers Weekly“Enigmatic and intriguing. . . . A deeply impressionistic dive into one person’s mind.
“A profoundly unusual, experimental, yet engrossing work of not-quite-memoir . . . settling into the rhythm of Heti's poetic observations gives way to a rich narrative reward. — Elle
Playful yet disciplined . . . [Heti] knows how to engage the mundane details of life with curiosity and thoughtfulness. —Booklist
Readers will become familiar with a set of thematic preoccupations: anxieties about professional success, churning erotic aspirations and frustrations, self-deprecating confessions masking self-regard. Heti provides some genuine fun in her invitation to discover more conventional coherence by reconstructing a chronological version of events . . . An original form of self-exposure emerges as we see some of the author's verbal habits laid bare. —Kirkus Reviews
“A cerebral, romantic exploration of the connections and questions that weave throughout [a] life. . . . Alphabetical Diaries is a feat of creativity, demonstrating Heti’s considered yet candid mastery of language and storytelling. —The Skinny
A book that is in many ways is an ode to the sentence; from the muscle of a single line to the power that comes with accrual. An immersive and hugely entertaining read. —Sinéad Gleeson, author of Constellations
Alphabetical Diaries is a testament to Heti's artistic power. She gently leads the reader into new dimensions of language previously undiscovered. Beautiful and uncompromising. —Marlowe Granados, author of Happy Hour
I am drawn to Sheila Heti's writing like a moth to a flame and Alphabetical Diaries is amongst the most affecting, exquisite books I've ever encountered. It is, simply put, utterly and startlingly good. Heti writes so creaturely, so bodily, that it feels like a whole new genre is being formed as we read. —Kerri ní Dochartaigh author of Cacophony of Bone
Sheila Heti keeps transforming my idea of writing. Her Alphabetical Diaries isn’t just dirty and funny and poignant; it reproposes everything you thought about a self and the way time passes.” ―Adam Thirlwell, author of The Future Future —
I read Sheila Heti's Alphabetical Diaries slowly, over the course of about a month―just a letter or two each morning with my coffee, before I began writing in my own journal. It was a lovely, warm, intimate reading experience, one I savored while it lasted, and missed when it was over. A beautiful, unusual book.” ―Kristen Roupenian, author of You Know You Want this: “Cat Person” and Other Stories —
“A cerebral, romantic exploration of the connections and questions that weave throughout [a] life. . . . Alphabetical Diaries is a feat of creativity, demonstrating Heti’s considered yet candid mastery of language and storytelling. —The Skinny
“Every sentence is a world unto itself . . . [juxtaposing] the mundane and the profound. . . . Alphabetical Diaries reveals . . . intimate and embarrassing truth about the immovability of the self. —The Walrus
Alphabetical Diaries is a testament to Heti's artistic power. She gently leads the reader into new dimensions of language previously undiscovered. Beautiful and uncompromising. —Marlowe Granados, author of Happy Hour
I am drawn to Sheila Heti's writing like a moth to a flame and Alphabetical Diaries is amongst the most affecting, exquisite books I've ever encountered. It is, simply put, utterly and startlingly good. Heti writes so creaturely, so bodily, that it feels like a whole new genre is being formed as we read. —Kerri ní Dochartaigh author of Cacophony of Bone
Sheila Heti keeps transforming my idea of writing. Her Alphabetical Diaries isn’t just dirty and funny and poignant; it reproposes everything you thought about a self and the way time passes.” ―Adam Thirlwell, author of The Future Future —
“Thrilling, very funny, often filthy, and a surprisingly powerful weapon against loneliness . . . [Alphabetical Diaries] is a screwball replication of how consciousness operates. —The Guardian
“A radical fusion of linguistic experiment and philosophical inquiry . . . by turns illuminating, playful, poetic. —The Guardian
“A work of surprising and moving insight. . . . Alphabetical Diaries is a pleasure to read, a book which feels like it can be savoured, dwelt upon, each sentence picked apart and examined singly or as part of a whole. . . . [coming] . . . as close as it is possible to truly knowing another’s inner life. —The Arts Desk
“Rich with intimacies and disclosures, these fragments show an artist searching for the right way to arrange her life. —The New Yorker
“Fearless. . . . A playful and unpredictable self-examination. . . . Heti’s frank vulnerability is refreshing in a world where irreproachable selves are impeccably curated online. —The Monthly
“A monumental achievement. . . . A meticulous work of art. . . . Alphabetical Diaries offers us a new way of seeing ourselves. —The Winnipeg Free Press
“Thrilling, very funny, often filthy, and a surprisingly powerful weapon against loneliness . . . [Alphabetical Diaries] is a screwball replication of how consciousness operates. —The Guardian
Delightful, strange . . . ecstatic, gut-wrenching. . . . Heti’s experiment generates delicious uncertainties: possibilities, truly endless and often contradictory. . . . The rapture of reading Heti is feeling her rapture writing: ‘I smile as I write this. I so much enjoy just thinking.’ And it’s a joy that spreads. —The Baffler
From romantic hang-ups and desire to anxiety and ennui, [Heti’s] curated diaries articulate daily life’s ordinary and routine melodramas. — Brooklyn Rail
Powerful and intimate. . . . [Alphabetical Diaries] is made up of Heti’s frank, funny, filthy, and casually philosophical diaries, ten years of them. . . . Heti has written a small classic; she has shot a lasting arrow into the hide of the memoir form. . . . A profound experience. —Dwight Garner, The New York Times
“[Alphabetical Diaries] burrows so deeply into a single psyche that it transcends the personal, as if emerging from one collective, neurotic consciousness. . . . The [result] is exhilarating: both intimate and withholding, repetitive and generative. . . . A monologue that is meditative, propulsive and yet yearning, like a chant, a mantra or a prayer.’ —The New Statesman “Alphabetical Diaries feels like the apotheosis of [Heti’s] writing style: a book that uses a rigid structural discipline to intimately lay bare the inherently chaotic, even arbitrary nature of consciousness. . . . Heti . . . has turned the pitfalls of the diary form—the relentless self-absorption, the combination of trivia and pathos—into a dazzling aesthetic virtue. Like a hologram, this book refracts an endlessly shifting light. . . . The results are strangely moving.
“Each book that Heti has written has pressed further into the possibilities of what fiction can be while staying grounded in the mining of the self. . . . The genius of [Alphabetical Diaries] is in how broadly human and carefully constructed it also feels. —The Los Angeles Times
Thrilling, very funny, often filthy, and a surprisingly powerful weapon against loneliness . . . [Alphabetical Diaries] is a screwball replication of how consciousness operates. —The Guardian
A radical adventure in form . . . by one of our best living authors. —The Washington Post
“Rich with intimacies and disclosures, these fragments show an artist searching for the right way to arrange her life. —The New Yorker
A radical fusion of linguistic experiment and philosophical inquiry . . . by turns illuminating, playful, poetic. —The Guardian
Enigmatic and intriguing. . . . A deeply impressionistic dive into one person’s mind. —Toronto Life
“A monumental achievement. . . . A meticulous work of art. . . . Alphabetical Diaries offers us a new way of seeing ourselves. —The Winnipeg Free Press
“A profoundly unusual, experimental, yet engrossing work of not-quite-memoir . . . settling into the rhythm of Heti's poetic observations gives way to a rich narrative reward. — Elle “Delightful, strange . . . ecstatic, gut-wrenching. . . . Heti’s experiment generates delicious uncertainties: possibilities, truly endless and often contradictory. . . . The rapture of reading Heti is feeling her rapture writing: ‘I smile as I write this. I so much enjoy just thinking.’ And it’s a joy that spreads.
Every sentence is a world unto itself . . . [juxtaposing] the mundane and the profound. . . . Alphabetical Diaries reveals . . . intimate and embarrassing truth about the immovability of the self. —The Walrus
From romantic hang-ups and desire to anxiety and ennui, [Heti’s] curated diaries articulate daily life’s ordinary and routine melodramas. — Brooklyn Rail
“Through her acclaimed novels How Should a Person Be?, Motherhood and Pure Colour, Sheila Heti has blended the autobiographical and the fictitious in the pursuit of truth . . . [Alphabetical Diaries] conjures magic out of a wild exercise.” ―Variety “Fascinating. . . . An enthralling experiment. . . . Heti is amusingly self-effacing . . . and wise. . . . The alphabetised sentences give the book momentum and entertaining accidents of language create intriguing micro-stories on every page. . . . [A] picture of a committed, inventive, sincere writer and the times she lives in. —iNews
Inventive, achingly intimate, and vulnerable, [Alphabetical Diaries is] a refreshing experiment with how a sentence lands without further context. A true testament to, a celebration of, and a masterclass in the art of sentences. —Paste Magazine
[Alphabetical Diaries] breaks new ground. . . . With Heti at the helm, this book is exciting, radical, and clever. . . . Just brilliant. —AnOther Magazine
“Vacillating between the mundane, the shocking, and the aphoristic, Alphabetical Diaries constantly drew me into its gravitational pull. . . . The rhythm and randomness of Heti’s voice whispering from different points in time creates an intoxicating trance. . . . Alphabetical Diaries achieves something . . . sacred. —Bookforum “An arresting literary experiment.
Playful yet disciplined . . . [Heti] knows how to engage the mundane details of life with curiosity and thoughtfulness. —Booklist
Readers will become familiar with a set of thematic preoccupations: anxieties about professional success, churning erotic aspirations and frustrations, self-deprecating confessions masking self-regard. Heti provides some genuine fun in her invitation to discover more conventional coherence by reconstructing a chronological version of events . . . An original form of self-exposure emerges as we see some of the author's verbal habits laid bare. —Kirkus Reviews
A thought-provoking experiment in self-reflection and prose, Alphabetical Diaries is perhaps Sheila Heti’s most intimate and most universal book yet. —Shelf Awareness
Fearless. . . . A playful and unpredictable self-examination. . . . Heti’s frank vulnerability is refreshing in a world where irreproachable selves are impeccably curated online. —The Monthly
A cerebral, romantic exploration of the connections and questions that weave throughout [a] life. . . . Alphabetical Diaries is a feat of creativity, demonstrating Heti’s considered yet candid mastery of language and storytelling. —The Skinny
Sheila Heti is a master of form, constantly expanding the bounds of fiction while expertly defamiliarizing the experience of being human, ultimately drawing you closer to it. —Nylon
“A work of surprising and moving insight. . . . Alphabetical Diaries is a pleasure to read, a book which feels like it can be savoured, dwelt upon, each sentence picked apart and examined singly or as part of a whole. . . . [coming] . . . as close as it is possible to truly knowing another’s inner life. —The Arts Desk
“Vacillating between the mundane, the shocking, and the aphoristic, Alphabetical Diaries constantly drew me into its gravitational pull. . . . The rhythm and randomness of Heti’s voice whispering from different points in time creates an intoxicating trance. . . . Alphabetical Diaries achieves something . . . sacred. —Bookforum
“I think Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti is a future classic. A great concept executed perfectly. — Zadie Smith, author of The Fraud “An arresting literary experiment.
Author
Author Bio: Sheila Heti
Sheila Heti is the author of several books of fiction and nonfiction, including Motherhood and How Should a Person Be?, which New York Magazine deemed one of the “New Classics of the 21st century.” She was named one of the New Vanguard by the New York Times book critics, who, along with a dozen other magazines and newspapers, chose Motherhood as a top book of 2018. Her books have been translated into twenty-one languages.
Details
Details
| Available Formats : | Digital Download |
| Category: | Fiction/Literary |
| Runtime: | 5.45 |
| Audience: | Adult |
| Language: | English |
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