Pushcart's Complete Rotten Reviews and Rejections: A History of Insult, A Solace to Writers
Any writer who becomes discouraged by the barbs of critics needs to own this book to read for reassurance. No great writer is spared by these critics with their idiotic reviews. Examples:- of H.G. Wells: "...only a minor writer of no large promise."
- of Walt Whitman: "Whitman is as unacquainted with art as a hog is with mathematics."
- of Leo Tolstoy (Anna Karenina): "Sentimental rubbish … Show me one page that contains an idea."
- on Charles Dickens: "We do not believe in the permanence of his reputation." (1858)
Read it, but take it in small doses as needed to cure writer feelings of inadequacy brought on by idiot reviewers.
