The Professor and Other Writings

Starred review from January 4, 2010
Cultural scholar and essayist Castle (The Literature of Lesbianism) puts her keen analytical powers and droll wit to fine use in her latest collection of autobiographical essays. Written between 2002 and 2009, Castle's seven pieces are wildly diverse in subject matter, including a rumination on controversial jazz virtuoso Art Pepper and an obituary of late leftist icon Susan Sontag. Castle's voice shines as she repeatedly peels back layers of assumptions to reveal thought-provoking, often funny and sometimes moving observations: an essay about Castle's obsessive interest in WWI becomes a thoughtful meditation on feminine courage, both horrifying and amusing (often in a single paragraph); a seemingly-banal piece about home interior magazines becomes an astute examination of the personal struggle for security in the post-9/11 world. Obscure references and a predictably academic approach never let readers forget they're dealing with a professional scholar, but Castle's fierce wit and self-deprecating style keep her text from becoming stilted, proving that "entertaining" and "high-minded" needn't be mutually exclusive.

November 15, 2009
Critic and cultural commentator Castle (English/Stanford Univ.; Boss Ladies, Watch Out!: Essays on Women, Sex and Writing, 2002, etc.) delivers a vibrant series of essays on art, travel and the personal relationships in her life.

Each of the pieces contains elements of autobiography, but it would be inaccurate to call the author a mere memoirist, as she deftly uses her personal experience to illuminate an array of other subjects. In"Courage, Mon Amie," she analyzes her longtime fascination with the"filthy minutiae" of World War I while relating the time she moved to England with her mother for three years. In"My Heroin Christmas," she delves into what she calls the greatest book she ever read, the autobiography of jazz legend Art Pepper, while also reflecting on her stepbrother's suicide. A too-brief essay on her acquaintance with Susan Sontag deftly portrays the famed writer as laughably narcissistic and difficult, but Castle's insight into her own awkwardness and hero-worship are just as intriguing. The long, ambitious title essay, which takes up more than half the book, is the funny, heartbreaking story of Castle's secret three-month affair with a much-older female professor when she was a na™ve college student in the'70s. The author captures the obsession and self-consciousness of young love and paints a remarkably detailed portrait of the professor, who seems to have been, on many levels, a deeply unpleasant person. The best parts of the essay, however, deal with lesbian culture in the'70s.Castle subtly shows how even in that relatively liberated era, most lesbians concealed who they were to their friends and acquaintances; even the professor was deeply closeted. Some of the details are simply hilarious, e.g., the overwrought lyrics of a lesbian folk singer, which have to be read to be believed.

A sharply written, deeply personal collection.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

December 15, 2009
Castle's new collection of autobiographical essays succeeds in entertaining, enlightening, and provoking its readers. One needs no familiarity with Sicily or with Art Pepper to enjoy Castle's pieces on these subjects; on the contrary, those with little to no knowledge of Art Pepper will be inspired to seek out recordings and books to get to know the man and his work. Shorter essays on subjects such as Susan Sontag, interior design magazines, and travels with one's mother form the lead-in to the book-length essay "The Professor," a piece about Castle's relationship, while a graduate student, with a professor. Although the relationship lasted only a few months, its effects were far-reaching. Castle is well known for her award-winning anthology "The Literature of Lesbianism", as well as her essays in the "London Review of Books" and the "New Republic". This new collection's savage wit and honesty should only bolster her popularity and garner her a whole slew of new readers. VERDICT A worthy read for anyone who enjoys a good think. With essay titles like "My Heroin Christmas" and "Desperately Seeking Susan," it will attract even those who usually steer away from "literary" essays.Audrey Snowden, Cleveland P.L.

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.