In a few words
‘Dyer is becoming a character just as arch and seductive as that professional self-effacer from the previous generation, Alan Bennett’ Observer
In a few words
A brilliant, wide-ranging collection of essays and journalism from the prize-winning author of Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi
Shrewd, funny, original . . . very good company on the page.
Andrew Motion
GuardianA national treasure.
Zadie Smith
A writer who resists categorization . . . His work is illusory yet real, funny but serious.
Shrewd, funny, original . . . very good company on the page.
Andrew Motion
GuardianMore about
the book
Alive with insight, wit and Dyer’s characteristic irreverence, this collection of essays offers a guide around the cultural maze, mapping a route through the worlds of literature, art, photography and music.
Besides exploring what it is that makes great art great, Working the Room ventures into more personal territory with extensive autobiographical pieces – ‘On Being an Only Child’, ‘Sacked’ and ‘Reader’s Block’, among other gems. Dyer’s breadth of vision and generosity of spirit combine to form a manual for ways of being in – and seeing – the world today.
More about
the book
Alive with insight, delight and Dyer’s characteristic irreverence, this book offers a guide around the cultural maze, mapping a route through the worlds of literature, art, photography, music. Across ten years’ worth of essays, Working the Room spans the photography of Martin Parr and the paintings of Turner, the writing of Scott Fitzgerald and the criticism of Susan Sontag, and includes extensive personal pieces – ‘On Being an Only Child’, ‘Sacked’ and ‘Reader’s Block’ among many others. Dyer’s breadth of vision and generosity of spirit combine to form a manual for ways of being in – and seeing – the world today.
A seductively straightforward writer . . . like Orwell. Dyer writes engrossingly on everything from love of doughnuts to his sequestered working class childhood in Swindon.
Will Self
Financial TimesOne of my favourite of all contemporary writers. I love his sense of the absurd, his pessimism mixed with robust good cheer, his beautifully crafted sentences, his jokes and his intelligence.
Alain De Botton
Languid, elegant, brilliantly conversational.
Tim Adams
ObserverA true original - one of those rare voices in contemporary literature that never ceases to surprise, disturb and delight . . . Dyer is a must-read for our confused and perplexing times.
Dyer is a witty and concise observer of landscapes: social, geographical and emotional . . . His eccentric charm and barbed perceptiveness will hook you to the end.
One of my favourite of all contemporary writers. I love his sense of the absurd, his pessimism mixed with robust good cheer, his beautifully crafted sentences, his jokes and his intelligence.
Alain De Botton
Geoff Dyer is a true original - one of those rare voices in contemporary literature that never ceases to surprise, disturb and delight. Risky, breathtakingly candid, intellectual, cool, outrageous, laconic and sometimes shocking, Geoff Dyer is a must-read for our confused and perplexing times.
A national treasure
Zadie Smith