Geoff Dyer Criticism
Geoff Dyer, born in 1958, is a British author renowned for his eclectic range of novels and nonfiction works, encompassing themes from jazz music to World War I, and the life of British writer John Berger. Dyer's unique approach involves a blend of subjective narrative and impressionistic prose, often leading to works that defy conventional categorization. His novels, such as The Colour of Memory and Paris Trance, explore the transient and often aimless lives of young Britons. Meanwhile, Out of Sheer Rage combines memoir, travelogue, and criticism, illustrating Dyer's struggle to write a biography of D. H. Lawrence, ultimately becoming a reflection on his own creative process and writer's block.
Dyer's academic background includes a degree from Corpus Christi College, Oxford. His passion for jazz is evident in But Beautiful, which received critical acclaim and won the Somerset Maugham Prize. His first major work, Ways of Telling, is a critical homage to John Berger, reflecting Dyer's admiration for Berger’s stylistic innovations and Marxist convictions. The book is recognized for its critical exploration of Berger’s impact, though it was noted to raise more questions than it answered, as observed by Simon Frith and Peter Campbell.
Dyer's fiction, including The Colour of Memory, has been critiqued for its lack of plot and character depth, as noted by Mark Ford and Nicholas Lezard. However, novels like The Search and Paris Trance are praised for their engaging narratives and experimental style, with Erica Wagner offering a positive assessment of the former.
Despite criticisms regarding his supposed self-indulgence and lack of narrative cohesion, as seen in Adam Lively's and David Widgery's reviews of But Beautiful, Dyer's work continues to captivate readers with its postmodern quality and evocative insights into the human experience. His ability to blend fiction and nonfiction, while maintaining a critical lens on artistic creation, renders him a significant, albeit sometimes polarizing, figure in contemporary literature.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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A Fortunate Man
(summary)
In the following review of Ways of Telling, Frith commends Dyer's homage to John Berger, but finds that the book raises more questions than it answers.
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Agreeing with Berger
(summary)
In the following review of Ways of Telling, Campbell discusses the career and influence of John Berger.
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Under Constraints
(summary)
In the following review of Ways of Telling, Cooke concludes that Dyer's account of John Berger's life is “a lively introduction but not a definitive critical study.”
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Idleness en Masse
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Ford offers an unfavorable assessment of The Colour of Memory, discussing the aimless 'alternative' lives of South London scroungers, in squats or on the dole, and chronicle the pleasures and vexations of drifting, purposeless days.
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A Lesson from America
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Lezard offers an unfavorable assessment of The Colour of Memory, describing it as a plotless novel focused on youngish people in Brixton living a life based on desire rather than intellectual engagement.
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Romantic Heroes of Jazz
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Lively commends Dyer's study of jazz music in But Beautiful, but notes that his interpretation lacks adequate social and historical perspective.
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Lullaby of Birdland
(summary)
In the following review of But Beautiful, Widgery commends Dyer's ability to convey his passion for jazz, but finds shortcomings in his conventional interpretations and apolitical stance.
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Make That Thy Quest, and Go Rot
(summary)
In the following review, Wagner offers a positive assessment of The Search. In The Search, Rachel meets Walker at a party and sends him off to find her vanished husband. Straightforward: Walker's a tracker, a retriever of the disappeared, and Rachel sends him on his way with a promise of big money and a wad of papers in his pocket that the missing man must sign and fingerprint. It goes without saying that Walker is half in love with the lovely and mysterious Rachel. This is familiar territory.
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Track Events
(summary)
In the following review, Jukes offers a generally positive assessment of The Search, but finds shortcomings in the novel's film noir style.
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Gratification Deferred
(summary)
In the following review of The Search, Clark finds shortcomings in the novel's muddled eclecticism and lack of “authorial presence.”
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The Lost Boys
(summary)
In the following review of The Missing of the Somme, Chalmers discusses the legacy of the First World War in Britain and Dyer's treatment of the subject.
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At the Going Down of the Sun
(summary)
In the following review of The Missing of the Somme, Horspool finds shortcomings in Dyer's overreliance on existing sources, particularly Paul Fussell's The Great War and Modern Memory, and Dyer's scattered meditative approach to the subject.
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Life in the Jazz Lane: The Misery of Stan Getz, the Loneliness of Dark Rooms and the State of the Music
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Litweiler offers an unfavorable assessment of But Beautiful.
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Blocked Down Memory Lane
(summary)
In the following review, Baker offers a positive assessment of Out of Sheer Rage.
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Look! He Has Come Through!
(summary)
In the following review, Scammell offers a positive assessment of Out of Sheer Rage.
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Off His Moped
(summary)
In the following review, Beckett offers a positive assessment of Out of Sheer Rage, noting that readers will do well to get past the book's first sentence, which is long and convoluted. He explains that Geoff Dyer attempts a biography of D. H. Lawrence to make himself feel better, but instead reveals his own neuroses and struggles with writing.
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A Glorious Elegy to Youth and Paris
(summary)
In the following review, McWilliam offers a positive assessment of Paris Trance.
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The Famous Five at a Loss
(summary)
In the following review, Irvine offers a positive assessment of Paris Trance, expressing initial fears that a book called Paris Trance may join the ranks of the increasingly hackneyed ‘ecstasy generation’ literature, but ultimately praising Geoff Dyer for achieving far more with his compelling third novel.
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In This Case, Writer's Block Became a Conduit for Creativity
(summary)
In the following review, Eder offers a positive assessment of Out of Sheer Rage, though he notes that Dyer's approach to the subject matter is somewhat self-defeating.
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Solitary Man
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Thomson offers a positive assessment of But Beautiful.
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Biographer: Get a Life!
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Kellman discusses the problem of biographical writing and offers a positive assessment of Out of Sheer Rage.
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The Perils of Irreverence
(summary)
In the following review, Brown offers an unfavorable assessment of Paris Trance.
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Frozen in Time and Youth in City of Light
(summary)
In the following review, Levi offers a positive assessment of Paris Trance.
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Innocents Abroad
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Sallis offers a positive assessment of Paris Trance, stating that any caution regarding the book's offering of escapism and depiction of sad, unremarkable lives is unwarranted. He describes it as a fine novel with a light, sure touch that affects far beyond its length and apparent insubstantiality.
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Out of Sheer Rage
(summary)
In the following review, Bolton finds Out of Sheer Rage “amusing and provocative,” but concludes that “those seeking a keener understanding of Lawrence will be disappointed.”
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A Fortunate Man
(summary)
- Further Reading