The Anthony Bourdain Reader - (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Anthony Bourdain represented many things to many people--and he had many sides. But no part of his identity was more important to him, and more long-lasting, than that of a writer. The Anthony Bourdain Reader is a collection of his best and most fascinating writing, and touches on his many pursuits and passions, from restaurant life to family life to the "low life," from TV to travel through places like Vietnam, Buenos Aires, Paris, and Shanghai. The Anthony Bourdain Reader is also a showcase for new and never-before-seen material, like diary entries from Bourdain's first trip to France as a teenager and "It's Cruel and Unforgiving Terrain," a piece on the New York restaurant scene, as well as unpublished short fiction like "I Quit My Job Yesterday" and chapters from No New Messages, his unfinished novel. These newly discovered pieces all contribute to give the fullest picture of the man behind the books."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

The definitive, career-spanning collection of writing from Anthony Bourdain, assembled for the first time in book form

Anthony Bourdain represented many things to many people--and he had many sides. But no part of his identity was more important to him, and more long-lasting, than that of a writer. The Anthony Bourdain Reader is a collection of his best and most fascinating writing, and touches on his many pursuits and passions, from restaurant life to family life to the "low life," from TV to travel through places like Vietnam, Buenos Aires, Paris, and Shanghai.

The Anthony Bourdain Reader is also a showcase for new and never-before-seen material, like diary entries from Bourdain's first trip to France as a teenager and "It's Cruel and Unforgiving Terrain," a piece on the New York restaurant scene, as well as unpublished short fiction like "I Quit My Job Yesterday" and chapters from No New Messages, his unfinished novel. These newly discovered pieces all contribute to give the fullest picture of the man behind the books.

The Anthony Bourdain Reader is a testament to the enduring and singular voice Bourdain crafted, with eclectic and curated chapters that encapsulate the unique brilliance of his restless mind. Edited by Bourdain's longtime agent and friend Kimberly Witherspoon and with a foreword by Patrick Radden Keefe, this is an essential reader for any Bourdain fan as well as a vivid and moving recollection of the life and legacy of one of our most distinctive writers.

Review Quotes

"The writing is self-assured and unfussy, Bourdain at his 'serious writer' best." - Bookforum

"Some of the loveliest passages come when Bourdain writes with just-so tenderness and precision about his family... I suspect Bourdain will be read in years to come less as a writer about food than of food work. Everywhere he lands - whether in struggling bistros, mob joints or midtown nightclubs - he warms to the subaltern caste of underpaid toilers slicing and sizzling and sweating away." - The Guardian

"A delectable treat for those heavyhearted devotees, as well as a phenomental introduction for those who have yet to discover Bourdain's creative, curious, charismatic voice...The collection...is large and luscious, full of fun, variety, insight, and wonder--just like the man himself...A worthy scrapbook of Bourdain's big, bold life...vivid, evocative, and ample helpings of Bourdain's joy, sharp humor, and wonder...An endless buffet from a giant, voracious, soul-searching talent." - BookPage, starred review

"Bourdain delivers whip-smart, mot juste, and funny pronouncements on the world...A welcome gathering of work by a writer--and traveler, chef, and truth teller--gone too soon." - Kirkus Reviews

"The hunger for more Bourdain and his writing remains insatiable. Witherspoon, his agent and friend of many years, has assembled a wealth of new material by the late great, including teenage diary entries, unpublished short stories and chapters from an unfinished novel." - New York Post