Sign-In
Cart
The Slap and the Salamander
Paperback
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN10: 1972482211
ISBN13: 9781972482216
Publisher: Serving House Books
Published: Aug 15 2026
Pages: 214
Weight: 0.64
Height: 0.49 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
ISBN13: 9781972482216
Publisher: Serving House Books
Published: Aug 15 2026
Pages: 214
Weight: 0.64
Height: 0.49 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The essays in The Slap and the Salamander move from an execution in seventeenth century Japan to a meditation on the nature of long-tailed tits; from thoughts sparked by the building of a new school to an imaginative approach to commuting; from exploring a sense of home and belonging to the light thrown on the nature of the world by sparrowhawks; from remembering a face to the impact of reading on a life. Present in every essay is a concern to recognize the extraordinary dimensions of the ordinary, to look closely at what Alexander Smith calls the infinite suggestiveness of common things.
Chris Arthur is among the very best essayists in the English language today. He is ever mindful of the genre's long literary tradition and understands - as did his great predecessors - that the genuine essay is grounded in the imagination, in our quest for art and beauty, as deeply as is poetry or painting. -Robert Atwan, series editor of The Best American Essays If anyone can lure out of hiding the mysterious secrets of the things of this world, and turn the familiar unfamiliar, the everyday magical, it's Chris Arthur. One of our greatest living essayists, he brings a rare combination of tenderness, power, care and, at times, ghoulish humor to the page. -Phillip Lopate, editor of The Art of the Personal Essay Every essay is engaging, and contains myriad twists, turns and treasures. Arthur's prose is mesmeric and musical, his authorial voice quiet yet compelling, assured yet inquisitive ... the language is constantly inventive in imagery and vocabulary. -Times Literary Supplement Arthur is proof that the art of the essay is flourishing. -Publishers Weekly
Also from
Arthur, Chris
Also in
Letters & Essays
Essays V2: Moral And Entertaining On The Various Faculties And Passions Of The Human Mind (1815)
Clarendon, Edward Hyde Earl of
Paperback
$37.44
Sez I to Myself: The Collected Essays of Frank and Malachy McCourt
McCourt, Frank
McCourt, Malachy
Hardcover
$27.00
But Have You Read the Book? Romance Edition: 40 Love Stories That Inspired Our Favorite Films
Lopez, Kristen
Hardcover
$19.00
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments
Nezhukumatathil, Aimee
Paperback
$18.00
Little Apocalypses: Essays on Motherhood, Climate Change, and Hope at the End of the World
Teer, Kaitlyn
Paperback
$18.04
Corazón Migrante. Ensayos Sobre Lo Que No Puedo Olvidar / Migrant Heart: Essays on What I Cannot Forget
Grande, Reyna
Paperback
$18.95
Wonder Is a Lovely Place to Be: 365 Days of Wit, Wisdom, and Irrepressible Imagination
Doyle, Brian
Hardcover
$24.65
异乡故人（壹嘉-人文）
刘宗坤
Paperback
$24.99
Glimmerings: Letters on Faith Between a Poet and a Theologian
Wiman, Christian
Volf, Miroslav
Hardcover
From $19.99
Wonderbook (Revised and Expanded): The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction
VanderMeer, Jeff
Paperback
$28.49
Love in the Afternoon, and Evening: Essays and Conversations on Soap Operas
Druckman, Charlotte
Sen, Mayukh
Paperback
$19.79
Mon Cher Amour: The Love Letters of Albert Camus and Maria Casares, 1944-1959
Camus, Albert
Hardcover
$54.00
Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge: The Official Guide to All the Books
Berlin, Erika
Hardcover
$20.90