William Hazlitt (1778–1830) was a brilliant English writer of the early XNUMXth century who was read, appreciated and quoted with pleasure by his contemporaries. Hazlitt wrote for the best London magazines, mostly critical and philosophical essays, although today we would probably call his texts «columns».
William Hazlitt (1778–1830) was a brilliant English writer of the early XNUMXth century who was read, appreciated and quoted with pleasure by his contemporaries. Hazlitt wrote for the best London magazines, mostly critical and philosophical essays, although today we would probably call his texts «columns». Because, as befits a true romantic, Hazlitt wrote passionately and passionately about everything that his pen touched. And although he himself considered himself a skeptic, in today’s opinion he is only an enthusiastic singer of the «universe of art.» Reading his essay, you see: the world was new two centuries ago. Those who thought and wrote about art and life then were all curious, all for the first time. That is why Hazlitt, for whom Byron and Scott were like Makanin and Pelevin for today’s critics, talks with greedy inspiration about Hamlet, Lear, Homer and the Bible, reason and imagination, vulgarity and affectation, and whether an actor should sit in a box. It’s not worth it, the viewer should not know what an actor is off the stage. Those who are aimed at quickly obtaining new information have nothing to do with this volume, but for those who are interested in how they thought and breathed in London, Hazlitt will definitely be to your taste.
Ladomir, Nauka, 2010. 685 p.