<p><b>The selected essays of James Wood - our greatest living literary critic and author of <i>How Fiction Works</i></b><br><br><b>''James Wood is a close reader of genius... By turns luscious and muscular, committed and disdaining, passionate and minutely considered'' John Banville</b><br><br>James Wood is one of the leading critics of the age, and here, for the first time, are his selected essays. From the career-defining ''Hysterical Realism'' to his more personal reflections on family, religion and sensibility, <i>Serious Noticing</i> offers a comprehensive overview of his writing over the last twenty years. These essays offer more than a viewpoint - they show how to bring the eye of critical reading to life as a whole.<br><br><b>''James Wood is one of literature¿s true lovers, and his deeply felt, contentious essays are thrilling in their reach and moral seriousness'' Susan Sontag</b></p>