I love writing on writing, so I was primed to enjoy Any Person is the Only Self, which was a wandering set of essays on writing, reading, and the self. It did feel a little unfocused, and by times, I was kind of bored of the analysis of canon literary works and was looking for more of Gabbert’s interest in them, but overall, I liked the joy of this collection of essays. This is definitely for readers and writers, and I think will be fully appreciated by those groups. Gabbert’s essays are mired in the pandemic, which makes them all the more relevant in our current times.

I am so thankful to the publisher, NetGalley, and the Author for granting me advanced access to this one before June 11, 2024. This one wasn't for me, but I am still really thankful for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I’m such a fan of Elisa Gabbert and this new essay collection did not disappoint.

With the theme of writing and writer’s life, I was drawn right in.

Here Elisa delves into the writer’s life, depression and in the case of Plath and Virginia Woolf, suicide.

There are contemporary subjects touched on too. One of Gabbert’s talents in thi book is how she takes a thread from one essay and weaves a little in the next before changing subjects.

I took my time with this one and really enjoyed it.

I've really liked Elisa Gabberts previous works, but this one didn't really work for me. I think it's mostly because a lot of the literary references and topics discussed are ones that I am really familiar with. Still, a worthwhile read for people who really know their literature.

Thank you to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for sending me an advanced copy.

This is an enjoyable collection of essays about reading, writing, surviving lockdown, musings on writers and writing, music, human contact, libraries, and more. It reads well particularly early but I did start to get bored towards the end, Phil Collins? Hair metal music of the 80s? Point Break the movie? Probably they’d work well as individual magazine articles, as a whole book it got a bit self indulgent.

‘any person is the only self’ is a new collection of essays by elisa gabbert. exploring the lives of famous authors such as sylvia plath and virgina woolf, and discussing hair bands of the 80s.

i really wanted to love this one. the synopsis held me in a way that i was so excited for it. unfortunately, it was a bit of a let down. while there were some parts i loved, particularly discussing rilke and rereading books of your teens, some really dragged on. the balance of paraphrasing works and analyzing was off. gabbert spent loads of time discussing the specifics of the antics of hair bands or niche books that she had read, but not a lot of saying what these things actually meant. it was almost like she did all the research and forgot the thesis.

i think that particular bookish people, perhaps literature or poetry degree holders could enjoy it more, but i don’t think i would recommend this collection for a newer essays reader.

overall: 3.25-3.5 ⭐️

I find it incredibly difficult to review an essay collection, much like a memoir because there's so much in them.
Some essays (e.g., Weird Time in Frankenstein), I learnt a lot from. Others (e.g., On Jealousy) gave me loads of interesting new perspective about things I'm rather familiar with.
All that said, I'm always in awe of people who know so much about so many different things. And this author has written essays about so many different things, it's incredible!

I was in a reading rut, and altogether a strange mood, when I encountered these essays. They fixed me right up, helping me see the world anew. Elisa Gabbert is a one in a lifetime talent.

Thanks to the publisher for the e-galley.

This book was a unique, fresh nugget of all kinds of different things. The author delved deep into personal experiences, but also things as random as the 80's, bands, books, philosophy, libraries, and more. It's not like anything I've ever read before, which is a compliment. It was like a beautiful, fascinating mish-mash of fascinating thoughts on many things.

A lovely collection of thought-provoking essays that explore memory, reading, writing, and identity.

A great read if you are in the mood to learn and to contemplate. I especially enjoyed "Same River, Same Man" and "The Intolerable, I Guess".

Thank you very much to FSG and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Phenomenal. Gabbert's The Unreality of Memory was among my favorite reads of 2020, so when I learned that she was publishing a new collection of essays, I was ecstatic--and all the moreso to receive an eARC from the publisher and Netgalley. Much gratitude. Any Person Is the Only Self is at least as excellent as The Unreality of Memory, if not moreso. Gabbert takes up so many critical concerns of our age and weaves them into literary analyses, reflections on the COVID pandemic, and ruminations on the deep value of reading in a time of profound upheaval. Gabbert tackles so many seemingly disparate topics but manages to form insightful connections among them in ways I found surprising and delightful. I enjoyed the reading experience on its own terms, but glimpsing the ways in which Gabbert's mind works also felt like learning new tools for perceiving the world and writing about it in ways that will long outlast my time within the pages of this book. I do think this may be a "niche" collection, with too many cultural and literary references and other threads to attract readers universally. As the kids say, though, "those who get it, [will] get it." This collection is also suffused with humor, and unlike many critics Gabbart does not appear to take herself too seriously. Just a delightful read that I would--and will--recommend to all lovers of literature.

- this was an enjoyable essay collection to read before bed, but it did leave me wanting just a little bit more of gabbert’s own experience and personality to shine through. while i appreciated her ability to weave together so many different sources in these essays on reading and writing, at times i felt overwhelmed by all the back to back quotations of other work. i really enjoyed and related to the passages where gabbert was expounding on her personal experiences with books throughout her life and especially throughout the pandemic, but her opinions felt overshadowed by the bibliography at times. my favorite pieces were the handful centering sylvia plath, and “second selves” which talked about people with highly superior autobiographical memory. overall a fun ride but not an all time favorite. 3.5 stars! thank you to FSG and netgalley for the digital galley of this!

The essays in this collection were so thought-provoking and insightful, touching on topics that resonate deeply with the human experience. Elisa explores life's complexities with clarity and honesty, offering readers moments of reflection and understanding. If you're looking for a collection that will challenge your perspective and spark contemplation, this book is a must-read!

After a few of these essays, I found the authorial voice a bit too pretentious. I liked the idea for the Bad Classics book club ... and learned about why Fahrenheit 451 really can be considered a "bad classic."

"I love when a piece of fiction insists that it's true. Inside itself, it always is."

This is a stunning collection of essays about books - literature about literature. I essentially see this as a collection of love letters from Elisa Gabbert to literature, both reading and writing. There was some critical analysis of classic works, including Frankenstein which is my personal favourite, as well as some of Sylvia Plath's works, a new author to me.

I felt so connected to these essays while reading as I felt like I was seeing some of my own inner thoughts opinions and feelings being laid out on paper before me. It felt as though I was having a conversation with a friend over coffee. While I am not usually a huge nonfiction reader, I did thoroughly enjoy this and would recommend it to any lover of literature.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

These essays were made for readers and writers. There were some beautiful thoughts and some about classic lit or culture that went over my head. I loved the thematic thread of a ‘self’— interpreted in various and original ways. From Proust to Plath to journaling to why people write… definitely diverse and interesting topics covered.

My favorites were “Second Selves”, “A Complicating Energy” and “Somethingness (or, Why Write?)”.

Sometimes I felt that the book went too heavily into plots or biographies of people. It was nice for context but then I wish they were accompanied by more of the authors original ideas.

I appreciate essays about books, reading, and leading a literary life. But these essays felt exclusive if the reader has not read the subject matter, namely Sylvia Plath, Proust, Frankenstein, and more. I was also not in the mood to read about COVID, which this certainly feels like a pandemic collection.

I like how the author expresses her inner thoughts and vulnerable, tender feelings so beautifully in her essays. Even though it contains a lot of post-pandemic sentiments, I don't think this feel repetitive, or at least it doesn't remind me of any other essays I've read of late. Glad to have read the entire collection, and grateful for the advance copy. While I didn't find much resonance with the writing, it brought me a quiet, gentle sort of joy and satisfaction to know that even in troubled times, the act of writing brought so much comfort to someone, even if it's one person in the world, it's just such a lovely after-thought. Lots of the stuff explored by the author in her own personal and unique voice, I found so endearing, and I hope readers will find a lot of comfort in reading the essays.

A gorgeous compilation of essays for those of us surrounded by our beloved books and wandering in their scenery. The author takes care to peel back the surface of some must-read classics to shed light on their timeless themes of humanity — and critique the aspects that maybe aren’t. The author draws from her lived experience and asks how we relate to our books, to their themes, and to their characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and FSG for providing an eARC. These essays will definitely be gracing their counterparts on my bookshelves in the future.

The essay about the Denver Library stole my heart as I remember the first time I stood in front of it. I was not charmed by it as with the Carnegie libraries in the South but I became less intimidated by it over time as I would occasionally chose it over the iconic Lodo Tattered Cover..oh the days of living near incredible TC like bookstores vs the mold infested carpet and horrible fiction section in Chaucer’s Santa Barbara which makes me buy books from Amazon rather than pick them up from the floor of my less than lovely local bookstore,
In any case five stars for a book of true lit criticism being published in 2024 when books seem truly less than ever even if some chapters were erudite and difficult.