Title: Rampant Ego Obscures Talent
Product review: Nick Tosches undeniably has talent. Unfortunately for the reader, Tosches is very aware of this fact and wants the reader to be aware of it (the book refers to Tosches' "legendary" poetry readings!). A series of riffs on truly tangential subjects (e.g., the woeful state of publishing in America today) undermines what could have been a great story. When Tosches focuses on the task at hand, the book is gripping, and the sentences sing (sometimes with melancholy beauty, other times raging jazz, and still other passages sound like a dirge). But the sheer weight of Tosches' ego overwhelms all.The modern story of Nick's verification of Dante's original manuscript is far more engaging than the parallel story of Dante actually writing his masterwork. Rather than building to a crescendo, this book also trails off towards the end, giving the impression that Tosches merely lost interest in his tale. And by then, so had I.
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