Books & Poetry

Greil Marcus has read a lot of books. He’s also seen a lot of films and listened to a lot of music. What you make of his new book may depend on whether you come anywhere close to his total immersion in American cultural history. He’s certainly as well placed as anyone to comment on shifting American identity,  and ‘The Shape of Things to Come’ is trademark Marcus: a dizzying parade of cross-cultural referencing that borders on showing off. That said, anyone who can name a chapter ‘American Berserk: Bill Pullman’s Face’ deserves a pat on the back, and when Marcus hits a bullseye it’s exhilarating . His memories of Martin Luther King and King’s  connections with Lincoln and Winthrop are acute and seriously impressive.

If his take on Philip Roth offers little new, he’s terrific on Pullman and David Lynch. Other outsiders such as Allen Ginsberg and Pere Ubu’s David Thomas also come under erudite scrutiny. It’s mildly disappointing that the book fizzles out without the anticipated thunderous conclusion, but maybe it’s for the best, given that you may need a lie-down at the end.