I started following Elisa Gabbert on social media a few years ago, and I’ve often been struck by her generous demeanor and fantastic insights about reading and writing. I’ve been meaning to get her essay collection The Unreality of Memory (not to mention her first collection, The Word Pretty), but as things go I got to this new collection, Any Person Is the Only Self, first. It has only made me more anxious to go back and read her first two collections.

This is a collection of 16 essays, mostly about reading, writing, and life, as well the way these tangle, with many essays touching on the pandemic. She is able to roam around a whole field of topics in a single essay and, if not bring all threads together (I wouldn’t want her to), make it a delightful, insightful journey.

I was hooked from the first essay, “On Recently Returned Books.” Here we learn about an interesting shelf at a Denver library, one where you could browse books that were “Recently Returned.” Here she found a large variety of books that “reduced the scope of my options, but without imposing any one person’s taste or agenda upon me.” She was attracted to this shelf because these books were not being marketed to her: “I came to think of that shelf as an escape from hype. It was negative hype. It was anti-curation.” This essay, as I mentioned above, ranges freely over some memorable books (and the insights she gleans from them) to the closing of the library in early 2020 when lockdown began. Much of what came before is suddenly infused with a sense of the passage of time, of experiencing life sometimes without recognizing its passing. I loved it.

As we can see by her attraction to the recently returned books shelf, Gabbert looks for ways to experience life in ways that are not programmed. What unique experiences can there be, what new insights, if she’s able to have things come at her in ways even the algorithm couldn’t anticipate. The next essay carries this on in a fun way; it’s called “The Stupid Classics Book Club,” and it’s about a book group she and some friends put together in order to read “stupid classics.” What does that mean, they wonder? “For me, ‘stupid’ mean relatively short, accessible enough to be on a high school syllabus, and probably rehashed cliché over time by multiple firm adaptations and Simpsons episodes.” They didn’t actually think any of the books would be stupid, but we get a lovely take down of the first book on the list, Fahrenheit 451.

It’s a wonderful essay simply on the classics, and why reading them is great. I found myself nodding along as she expressed something, at the end, that resonated with me:

This is why it’s worth reading the classics — to spend enough time with a text that a reference to it isn’t just outside you, but connected to your intimate experience of the text and all the other texts it connects to.
But this is just the first sentence in the final paragraph, and what came next had me thinking a lot more than that first sentence, as much as I loved the thought on reading classics. Here is where this goes:

Sometimes, lately, I get a glistening feeling that references, which are often, in any case, unintentional, are not one-way but reciprocal, that Eliot is referencing the Okkervil River song as much as the other way around. In the right mood, reading The Waste Land, I can feel unhooked from time, like Proust’s narrator of Swann’s Way dozing in his “magic” chair — the poem seems to allude both backward and forward, to reference the future.
I quoted that paragraph fully because I think it encapsulates the joys I felt reading this collection. Gabbert is so often writing about things that interest me, and I love how often she has an insight that just hits right, even if it might not be particularly brand new. But then she keeps going to places I’ve never dreamt of. I finished these essays wanting to continue to ponder.

There are so many topics that come up in these pages — Evelyn Waugh, Moby-Dick, Proust, Woolf, Plath, including a lengthy look at Gabbert’s experience reading Heather Clark’s Plath biography, Red Comet (one of my favorite books I read last year), during quarantine. Indeed, that’s another thing I loved about this book: Gabbert is letting us in on her own experiences with these topics. She is not simply giving us her conclusions; she is allowing us to see how they came to her and how her life affected her experiences with them.

I don’t seek out a lot of essay collections, but when I come upon them I so often end up loving them (thinking of many released by NYRB Classics over the years). This is right there with them, and though I’m excited to go back and read more of Gabbert’s work, I’m also excited to read these very essays again. I don’t feel done with them at all.

Any Person... is a lovely collection that really seemed rooted in the kind of earnestness Instagram.com/openbookopen has been introducing to the Bookstagram space. While it is not exclusively about reading, its ethos in the joy of books sings from the pages, and the way she writes about Sylvia Plath brought me to tears.

major thanks to my beloveds over at netgalley and fsg for the digital arc (and the finished copy! fsg you are too good to me <3)!!

devastated to get to the end of this and the last chapter i had been anticipating was the bibliography!!

i didn't want this book to end. i cherished the reading experience of each essay. there is something so special about books dissect the relationship a reader/writer has with books. elisa gabbert approaches her writing with such unabashed authenticity, and it was a joy to read every essay.

unfortunately personal error prevented me from connecting with this collection as much as i would have liked. note to the wise: maybe don't read a million different books at once?? and focus on the stuff you have already started?? because i was reading other essay collection at the same time, i feel like my attention with improperly divided. that being said, i definitely have plans to revisit this collection in the future.

these essays made me examine the relationship i have with books and my own reading habits. when i do revisit this in the future, i am curious to see how those habits have changed.

tldr, this is a book for book nerds.

4.5!

For purveyors and curators of literary and cultural parallels, those of us who consume so much content as to not anymore be able to explore new artistic territory without suddenly being mentally taken aback and thrown into the rolodex of references in our minds; internally asking ourselves what preexisting sensation have I felt in response to a piece of art that identifies with what I feel in this moment? Who out there has expressed for me what I could not express for myself, in better or different ways?

I so often have moments of uncanny coincidence - a scene from a past dream perfectly enacting itself in reality, hearing a topic or a phrase said in person right before it appears in a book or a song, experiencing a piece of media at a weirdly exacting point in my life where it's content is eerily topical to the state of mind I am in and these moments always prove to be almost bone chilling, sometimes (though rarely) seemingly impossible enough to even push forward a questioning of one's faith, because in what would I need to believe for this synchronized moment to make sense, to feel possible? In the heat of questioning these fleeting coincidences, to quote the Talking Heads, "you may ask yourself, "Well, how did I get here?"

In Any Person is The Only Self, Gabbert sources from her own personal libraries of human experience, cultural history, and literary knowledge and warmly weaves this collection of intricate and dovetailing essays equally consisting of poignant references to niche but deeply touching pieces of art both integral and conducive to the unique and personal formative moments, thoughts, and memories of her
own.

These deeply personal parallels and correlations Gabbert draws throughout the book
-channeling countless references from underrated hidden gems to iconic figures and works so often resonated with me as to evoke an almost tickling feeling, aligned so funnily with my own experienced media and personal life, creating a special bond in my mind with Gabbert herself; how did this book of hers end up in my hands at this exact moment, and did she even have a modicum of intuition into the ways it would resonate with someone else? how her topics would prove to be so incredibly topical to a complete stranger?

I often feel like the truest and most authentic writing often takes place when the pressure to pander to a wider audience is abandoned, though inevitably producing a smaller reception, for those who do align with it, this authenticity produces an incomparably deeper and identifiable experience for the reader. To write a collection of essays with references so idiosyncratic to herself and her own history could definitely consequently go on to be a shot in the dark, but a shot in the dark does inevitably hit at least one target.

Gabbert writes about literature and culture in a way that only someone truly passionate about these topics could, referencing ranging topics from Proust to Phil Collins, Kierkegaard to Keanu Reeves, Woolf, Sontag, Carrington, Plath, Shelley, oh my! At one point in the book, Gabbert says the line from Sylvia Plath's poem
"Lady Lazarus", "I eat men like air." is one she perpetually wishes she could've written herself, and while she might not have conceived this iconic line evoking the carnivorous consuming of men as easily as taking a breath, she has her own type of consumption, that of endless artistic expressions, and she pulls from the air of these seemingly tangential pieces what would be for others the most indiscernible similarities, but then goes to prove them to share such valuable parallels and likenesses.

If I had to myself reference a piece that to me aligns with the essence of this book, it would undoubtedly be: "You read something which you thought only happened to you, and you discover that it happened 100 years ago to Dostoyevsky. This is a very great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that he is alone. This is why art is important."
James Baldwin, Conversations with James Baldwin

Elisa Gabbert is automatically a must-read author for me. Her essays are sublime. These are quite different from the broader scope of topics covered in The Unreality of Memory, her previous essay collection, as these focus on books, reading, and connections to self. I enjoy her more when there's less of a theme, but that's pretty minor because these are still outstanding. I love how her mind works, I love the many different ideas, feelings, and directions she weaves together into any one topic. My interest waned a bit with some, like metal/hair band documentaries and analysis of what this music era meant, but I loved the majority. She's a brilliant thinker and an absolutely beautiful writer (her background as a poet comes through but not overbearingly). I really appreciated reading her experiences during lockdown too, they resonated deeply.

Any Person Is the Only Self - Elisa Gabbert

Out Tomorrow!

Any Person Is the Only Self is a collection of essays that mainly revolve around literature but also include topics such as nostalgia, libraries, and the effects of the pandemic.

I found the essays to be engaging and interesting. Even when they were on a topic I wasn't as interested in the writing carried me through the essay and I found it enjoyable.

There were references to a lot of books in these essays, most of which I haven't read. I don't think it is necessary to be familiar with the books mentioned to enjoy this book, however I do think it is something to consider when picking it up. I am actually quite excited to re-read this in the future, when I have hopefully read more of the titles mentioned in this book.

My favourite essay in this book was 'On Recently Returned Books', it was a wonderful insight into how Elisa uses libraries and I loved reading about her excitement about books! There were a lot of quotes in this book which I felt worked most of the time, however there were occasions where it took me out of the train of thought, this could just be because I do not read essays often but I thought it was worth mentioning.

I think this book is definitely worth a read. I highlighted so many paragraphs and found it to be very enjoyable.

Thank you to @netgalley and @fsgbooks for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As a reader, I am not loyal to a particular genre. I love to mix it up. <i>Any Person Is the Only Self: Essays</i> is the first essay collection I think I’ve ever read? Maybe. Don’t quote me on that. But I do know that I do not frequently read essays. I was, therefore, intrigued. The 16 essays are about books, loneliness, reading, writing, films, and music, all of which sounded like topics I’d love to read about.

I was lucky enough to have read almost every book mentioned in the collection (besides anything by Proust, but I *aspire*) so I do think that made this even more interesting for me. A few years back, I began to do a dive into some classics that my high school career didn’t cover. If you haven’t read any Plath or say Frankenstein, then maybe rethink reading this. I loved hearing how Gabbert interpreted some of the favorites, and I love how she interpreted other interpretations. It felt very academic. I have a desire to reread Salinger’s <i>Catcher in the Rye,</i> to see how adult me would feel about the novel. I also found myself a bit angry about some spoilers on books I haven’t yet read (but it’s kind of on me as I should have a longer ‘Read’ shelf at this point in my life).

I particularly found the essay on memory to be quite fascinating. Imagine remembering every single detail of your life? How tragic honestly.

Even though there were some essays I could have skipped, I don’t regret reading this collection. I found reading this while reading something else was just perfect. Most of the essays were short and easy to digest. I don’t think this will go down in history as my favorite essay collection ever, but it has made me excited to find more essay collections out there. I liked the construction much more over the substance.

Oh, and now I must rewatch Point Break because she made a convincing argument that it is one of the best movies of all time?? Strange, yes.

Thank you NetGalley and FSG Originals for the ARC!

Good lord, this took me a while to read through and finish.

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and FSG for giving me access to this book's ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

I did like the chapters on parties, second selves, memory, keeping a journal, and why one should write, those parts that highlighted so many artists and writers, because they were so insightful and at parts, relatable. I do agree in totality with her perspective on the topics, and I found it worthwhile to read as she talks about people's parties, and diaries. It's like an introspection session with Elisa Gabbert herself.

However, there were some chapters that I found dragging because in my opinion, were very niche. At these points in the book, I found it difficult to read, difficult to focus upon. While I admire the dedication Gabbert had for metal bands and the admiration (I'm not too sure) she has, I feel like, it just wasn't for me. Like, it didn't push me to get interested in them, because there were not much personal attachments Gabbert mentioned she had with those topics. It's like she was talking to me but was walking twenty steps beyond me.

Overall, a good book! I still liked most of the chapters, anyway.

Elisa Gabbert's "Any Person is the Only Self" is both what I expected and not what I expected at the same time, but ultimately, it is not for me. The book feels reminiscent of sitting on an online forum, reading various perspectives and feedback, filled with quotes and inserts. While some may find this approach engaging, I felt like I was reading a collection of thoughts that had already been articulated by other authors, compiled by Gabbert.

Before reaching the halfway point, I found myself bored and questioning if this is what every essay would be like. However, I must acknowledge that some essays do spark interesting discussions and introduce potentially new information from classics, as well as obscure authors or films that many may not be familiar with. Despite this, I ultimately desired to see and hear more of Gabbert's own voice.

There's no doubt that this book will receive a variety of reviews. It is definitely meant for a specific audience. It appeals not just to those who love to read and enjoy literature, but more so to those who revel in continuously discussing it. As someone who enjoys reading and has a passion for classics, I value conversations about literature—what we learn from it and how it shapes our discourse. However, I did not enjoy the heavily quoted conversation style presented in this book.

There is no denying that these essays are interesting and explore topics related to writing, journaling, reading, and literature. Gabbert's passion for these subjects is evident, and other readers will undoubtedly connect with her love for literature. Nevertheless, I wanted to see more of her personal connection, which unfortunately was often overshadowed by the numerous references.

I would still recommend "Any Person is the Only Self" to some friends who I believe would appreciate it. These are friends who are less focused on hearing the author's voice and more interested in the diverse voices she brings to the forefront.

I am not normally an essay-reading-girly BUT this surprised me! This collection has made me realize how much I actually enjoy reading about literature - writing, reading, all of it. After finishing, I had collected a long list of new titles to dive into and explore, feeding my voracious reading addiction. Love love loved it. On to consume more literature!

"𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘻𝘦𝘳𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭, 𝘢𝘥𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦."

Gabbert is the kind of woman that could have a yap sesh and I'd be all ears. There's a miles-a-minute fluidity in the way ideas, quotes, and anecdotes bounce back to give a larger clarity to life while I'm at the other end of the table warped by my own chaos. From journals and memory to reading and being, Gabbert has her finger on the existing pulse between reader and writer that makes a booklover like me love an essay collection like this.

Though her anecdotes come few and fewer as she deep dives into her bibliography, there's still a lot here to like and love and saves me from reading the larger texts. Though perhaps I should finally get to the The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. Perhaps I should pick up the ones by Woolf. Perhaps I'm looking for ways to draw out my life just a bit finer with my own journaling.

If you enjoy writers on writing, this yap sesh is for you.

"𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘦𝘭. 𝘉𝘢𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘺 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘌𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘦𝘭."

So, are you an eel or a squid?

This was a really interesting essay collection. I think, as with most books like this, some worked for me more than others. The ones that I enjoyed will really stick with me.

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.