{"product_id":"portrait-of-my-body-9780385483773","title":"Portrait of My Body","description":"Phillip Lopate's richest and most ambitious book yet--the final volume of a trilogy that began with \u003ci\u003eBachelorhood\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eAgainst Joie de Vivre\u003c\/i\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePortrait of My Body\u003c\/i\u003e is a powerful memoir in the form of interconnected personal essays. One of America's foremost essayists, who helped focus attention on the form in his acclaimed anthology \u003ci\u003eThe Art of the Personal Essay\u003c\/i\u003e, Lopate demonstrates here just how far a writer can go in the direction of honesty and risk taking. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn thirteen essays, Lopate explores the resources and limits of the self, its many disguises, excuses, and unmaskings, with his characteristic wry humor and insight. From the title essay, a hilarious physical self-exam, to the haunting portrait of his ex-colleague Donald Barthelme, to the bittersweet account of his long-delayed surrender to marriage, \"On Leaving Bachelorhood,\" Lopate wrestles with finding the proper balance between detachment and empathy, doubt and conviction. In other essays, he celebrates his love of film and city life, and reflects on his religious identity as a Jew. A wrenchingly vivid, unforgettable portrait of the author's eccentric, solipsistic, aged father, a self-proclaimed failure, is the centerpiece of a suite of essays about father-figures and resisted mentors. The book ends with the author's own introduction to fatherhood, as witness to the birth of his daughter. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA book that will engage readers with its conversational eloquence, skeptical intelligence, candor, and mischief, \u003ci\u003ePortrait of My Body\u003c\/i\u003e is a captivating work of literary nonfiction.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Anchor Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/15\/1997\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780385483773\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.50w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/08\/1997\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Phillip Lopate","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":38012679159989,"sku":"9780385483773","price":16.15,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_40d0a2e7-08c8-4981-8f91-8a6b936de87d.jpg?v=1609137321","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/portrait-of-my-body-9780385483773","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}