Jafsie and John Henry

Essays

By David Mamet

1999

First Published

3.52

Average Rating

192

Number of Pages

5H51M

Audio Length

In this new collection fans and critics—who can never get enough of David Mamet's iconoclastic insight and barbed observation of human behavior—will discover an added dimension: as the author turns fifty, he shares not only his reflections on the nature of creativity and the challenge of aging but also his most intimate interests and obsessions.From his longtime mania for poker and its labyrinthine psychology to sharp sallies on moviemaking gibberish and the meaning of macho, Jaffsie and John Henry is knit together by Mamet's unique perspective and inimitably spare wit. Hailed by Kirkus Reviews as a writer whose essays "deliver wit, insight, and truculence in small, mixed doses", the selections leapfrog from Oscar Wilde to the tower of Babel, the Committee on Un-American Activities, and Jewish scripture. Police corruption, the art of acting, and single-malt scotch are all grist for the mill of Mamet's quicksilver mind. He reminisces about his first car, muses on the Lindbergh trial, laments the loss of the art of knife-making, and lambastes Hollywood culture. As ever, Mamet "walks a line between provocation and enticement that always compels attention" (Newsday).

Avg Rating

3.52

Number of Ratings

5 STARS

16%

4 STARS

32%

3 STARS

43%

2 STARS

1 STARS

goodreads

Author

David Mamet

Author · 60 books

David Alan Mamet is an American author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and film director. His works are known for their clever, terse, sometimes vulgar dialogue and arcane stylized phrasing, as well as for his exploration of masculinity. As a playwright, he received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag the Dog (1997). Mamet's recent books include The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of Leo Frank; Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), a Torah commentary, with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner; The Wicked Son (2006), a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism; and Bambi vs. Godzilla, an acerbic commentary on the movie business.