John Cage

''...this brief volume sheds a valuable beam of light on the composer, cutting through the obfuscation that has settled around him. One of the more engaging aspects of David Nicholl's study is the connection he makes with John Cage's personal life, his life outside composition...It's important that Cage is attended to as well as listened to, and Nicholls gives due emphasis to his writings, including his poetry...a very fine book.'' David Stubbs, The Wire, July 2008 ''This edition provides an opportunity to follow in close compass Dreisier's process of revision. It captures his point of view at a transitional moment in his career, and it sheds light on his subsequent work, including his masterpiece, An American Tragedy (1925)...the interest of this edition lies in the attention it directs to a major albeit neglected novel. Eugene Witla's story is as much a measure of turn-of-the-century America as The Great Gatsby is an expression of the Jazz Age.'' William P. Kelly, Times Literary Supplement, May 30th 2008