In this erudite and engaging collection, Paul Bodine gathers together two decades of his provocative forays into books and culture, from the popular fiction of Stephen King and Richard North Patterson to the ageless classics of D. H. Lawrence and T. S. Eliot. Bristling with wit, frank analysis, and versatile intelligence, Operative Words features reviews of more than thirty books by such authors as Jay McInerney, Daniel Boorstin, John Keegan, and Doris Lessing as well as detailed profiles of twenty-five major American writers (from Cleveland Amory to Tom Wolfe), all originally appearing in major American newspapers and reference books. Bonus features include in-depth analyses of short stories by Vladimir Nabokov and F. Scott Fitzgerald, the critical reception of T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets , and cutting-edge French and American literary theory. No less spirited and eclectic are Bodine's takes on music, which range from an interview with an up-and-coming violinist and reviews of Mahler and Stravinsky biographies to the sounds and images of Roxy Music and John Lennon. A rich feast of opinion and reflection.