Intimate, humorous, and insightful, Readings is a collection of classic essays and reviews by Michael Dirda, book critic of the Washington Post and winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for criticism. From a first reading of Beckett and Faulkner at the feet of an inspirational high-school English teacher to a meeting of the P. G. Wodehouse Society, from an obsession with Nabokov's Lolita to the discovery of the Japanese epic The Tale of Genji, these essays chronicle a lifetime of literary enjoyment. The crime of his life—The quest for Scrivener—Talismans—Maxims, etc. — Heart of the matter—Bookman's Saturday—Supplementary materials—Listening to my father—Romantic scholarship—Weekend with Wodehouse—An abecedary—Mr. Wright—Heian holiday—Childhood's end—The one and the many—Commencement advice—Four novels and a memoir—The October country—Bookish fantasies—Pages on life's way—A garland for Max—Read at whim! — Comedy tonight—Light of other days—Data daze—Four-leaf clovers—Sez who? — Lament for a maker—Clubland—The learning channels—Guy Davenport—Eros by any other name—Frank confessions—Mememormee—Tomes for tots—Three classics—Vacation reading—One more modest proposal—Shake scenes—After strange books—Awful bits—Turning 50 — Blame it on books—On the road not taken—Excursion—Millennial readings