The Literary Sands of Key West Reviews

3 thoughts on “The Literary Sands of Key West Reviews”

1. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

   
   Literary Key West?, April 19, 2015

   By 

   R. M. Peterson (Santa Fe, NM) –
   
     
   
     

   This review is from: The Literary Sands of Key West (Paperback)

   This book is one of a series addressing the literary high spots of such cities as Paris, New York, and London. But Key West, Florida? Sure, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams are associated with the town, but before picking up the book on a recent trip there I did not regard it a “literary city” on a par with Paris, New York, or London. And while reading the book did not persuade me that it is indeed on a par with those much larger and older cities, I did realize that Key West does merit a book devoted to its literary heritage.

   In addition to Hemingway and Williams, here is the list of writers associated with the city who have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize: Robert Frost, John Hersey, Wallace Stevens, Elizabeth Bishop, Richard Wilbur, Philip Caputo, Joseph P. Lash, James Kirkwood, James Merrill, and Alison Lurie. Other writers of note include Truman Capote, John Ciardi, Ralph Ellison, Carson McCullers, Tom McGuane, and Robert Stone. As of when the book was published (1996), the island was the full- or part-time home for more than eighty published authors.

   The book is short (about sixty pages of text) and informally written. Thus, it can be read during one trip to the beach. It is loosely structured around the places and addresses — homes, restaurants, hotels and inns, and watering holes — with literary connections. For example, there is a “Hemingway Trail” and a “Tennessee Walk”.

   One problem is that Key West has changed in the twenty years since the book was written, and therefore a fair percentage of the information is now out-of-date. An updated edition is badly needed. A second problem, for me, is that the breezy text occasionally is too breezy. (The first two sentences serve as an example: “Key West is only a big rock, really–a calcified chunk of coral. But it has always had a pull as strong as a magnet in an iron mine.”)

   Still, if you are going to Key West and are of a literary bent, LITERARY SANDS OF KEY WEST probably will enhance your visit.

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2. 
   For the Literary Set, July 9, 2008

   By 

   Marsh Muirhead (Minnesota) –

   This review is from: The Literary Sands of Key West (Paperback)

   Key West, it is often said, has been home to more Putizer Prize winning authors, per square foot, than any other place in the world. Although a bit dated since it’s 1996 publication (Robert Stone and Billy Collins are among those who would be included in a new version), this little book is still a good condensed source of information for the literary traveler or arm-chair reader.

   You’ll learn about Hemigway’s life here, take the Tennessee (Williams) Walk, discover the haunts of Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, and Truman Capote. Listed too are cafes and bookstores (Valladares newsstand has since closed but Key West Island Books remains) where the famous and want-to-be-famous hang out.

   Marsh Muirhead, author of “Key West Explained – a guide for the traveler”

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3. 0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

   
   Five Stars, March 15, 2015

   By 

   Gary Boyd Roberts –

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   This review is from: The Literary Sands of Key West (Paperback)

   Great!

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