{"product_id":"alive-in-the-writing-crafting-ethnography-in-the-company-of-chekhov-0226568180","title":"Alive in the Writing: Crafting Ethnography in the Company of Chekhov","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0226568180\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Narayan, Kirin\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e New\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReview [Kirin Narayan] has written a brief and brilliant book about what it means to be an ethnographer, and how to do it responsibly, and better. -- James Wood - The New YorkerI was skeptical about whether the writings of a nineteenth-century Russian playwright and storyteller, inspiring as they might be, could offer much assistance in the more prosaic task of crafting academic texts. Nevertheless. . . . I decided to read on anyway. I am glad I did. Chekhov, at least in Kirin Narayans deft hands, proved to be a surprisingly solid source of advice for the ethnographic writer.    -- James Staples - Journal of the Royal Anthropological InstituteNarayans short book can easily be read as a manual, and some (especially those with less experience to assure them that the doldrums do eventually pass) will find it useful for precisely that purpose. But it is much more than that. Narayans excitement at meeting Chekhov across the literature-ethnography divide and the rich array of beautiful ethnographic writing together forcefully remind us that ethnographic writing is never simply a descriptive exercise. As I read through the book, I was repeatedly struck by the sense of familiarity both with the dilemmas faced by Narayans chosen authors and with the exuberant outbursts with which they leaped across the constraints of a scholarly discipline to recapture the insights of fieldwork. If a doctoral student will find practical guidance and encouragement here, for a seasoned ethnographic writer the relief comes in the realization that there is company in those seemingly lonely moments when one struggles to render into comprehensible prose the powerful presence in all fieldwork of the inchoate, the imponderable, and-what is sometimes the result of ethical concerns for the protection of ones informants-the unsayable. -- Michael Herzfeld - American AnthropologistChekhovs unique ability to be a scientist and an artist, a medical doctor and a writer, to always be present in his writings as an observer and narrator, unfailingly compassionate, but never overbearing, makes Chekhov a role model to which we can all aspire. After reading Narayans book, you may want to run out and read Chekhov before you sit down to do any of your own writing. I do not think Narayan would find this upsetting at all. Perhaps it is even what she intends. I have always heard it said that you write as well as what you read. Bravo to Narayan for reminding us of this crucial truth. She has clearly learned deeply from her muse. Her writing sparkles with all the glittering qualities of Chekhovs work-brevity, precision, audacity, and the desire to tell things as they are, and to do so with love, humor, and abiding curiosity for what makes human beings such endlessly interesting creatures. -- Ruth Behar - Current AnthropologyAlive in the Writing is a gem of a book. Insightful and lively to read, it is of use to both beginning and seasoned ethnographers, as well as to anyone who wants to improve his or her writing about social life. . . . Inspired by her own work as an anthropologist and folklorist, Narayan draws on Chekhovs life and his ethnographic work, Sakhalin Island, as well as the works of other ethnographers, to offer an imaginative, engaging, and highly useful series of exercises and advice to make ethnographic writing come alive. -- Elizabeth Fine - Journal of Folklore ResearchBalm for the loneliness and torment of the ethnographic writer, this manual by one of the most distinguished offers the user a personal  writer's workshop, at once charming, therapeutic, and practical. The author's mother, her most astute reader, asks: A lot of people have no problem writing. The bigger thing I'd like to know is, do you have any thoughts on how to put all the different little bits together? With the help of Anton Chekhov, her muse and obsession, Narayan does.--George Marcus, author of Ethnography through Thick and Thin -- George Marcus Published On: 2011-1\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mia Karts","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51935846170912,"sku":"NEW0226568180","price":134.56,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/miakarts.com\/products\/alive-in-the-writing-crafting-ethnography-in-the-company-of-chekhov-0226568180","provider":"Miakarts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}