Rowing to Sweden
Description
Whether confronting racial politics, a doomed marriage, or an idealist’s loss of innocence, Fredrick Barton never flinches from the truth in this heartfelt collection of award-winning essays. Often funny, always honest, Barton weaves his love of the movies into his recollections of growing up a white liberal Baptist, coming of age in anti-wars rallies, and finding hope in a country torn by racial divides. Rowing to Sweden includes both personal essays and cultural criticism. While their subjects range from the responsibilities filmmakers must accept when telling a war story to the bureaucratic tortures of a visit to the DMV, these essays all contemplate one delicate concern: the bittersweet dilemma of trying to live a good life in a morally complex world.
Reviews
"A rich, intricately woven tapestry of memoir and criticism, a multi-layered essaying on the very things that make our everyday lives meaningful and maddening.” —Steven Church, author of The Guinness Book of Me
“Barton continues the very best of the essay tradition: wisdom, grace, a stubborn curiosity, and the urge to follow an idea wherever it leads.” —Dinty W. Moore, author of Between Panic and Desire
Author Bio
Award-winning writer and critic Fredrick Barton has authored four novels, a play in verse, and numerous short stories, essays, and reviews. He was a founder of the Creative Writing Workshop at the University of New Orleans where he served as Director for many years. He continues to teach in the program and live in New Orleans, LA.
