In the Country of Country

Product Description A new edition as part of the Faber Greatest Hits - books that have taken writing about music in new and exciting directions for the twenty-first century.In his critically acclaimed book, In the Country of Country, Nicholas Dawidoff travels to the origins of country music and talks to the musicians who created this original American art form. Here, amongst others, are indelible portraits of Johnny Cash, behind whose black apparel lies a Faustian dilemma; Merle Haggard, a man as elusive as he is gifted; and Patsy Cline, a lonely figure striding out bravely in a male-dominated world. An exhilarating journey from Maces Springs, Virginia to Bakersfield, California, In the Country of Country conveys the spirit and passion that informs country music and confirms Dawidoff's reputation as one of the most gifted cultural commentators of his generation. Review No need to be a country fan to enjoy In the Country of Country, a deeply sensitive portrait. -- Kazuo Ishiguro The riveting, and often poignant, story of country music's golden years. ― Daily Telegraph A musical and cultural odyssey back to the roots of a most misunderstood musical genre . . . It is funny, fascinating, slatternly and sincere. Just like country music at its best. ― Time Out Dawidoff's passion for his subject shines on every page . . . [His] search for personal messages in the lives of country music has a resonance and a grace that is likely to find readers for a long while to come. ― Chicago Tribune A fine portrait of country musicians and the places that spawned them. ― New Yorker Book Description A new edition as part of the Faber Greatest Hits - books that have taken writing about music in new and exciting directions for the twenty-first century. About the Author Nicholas Dawidoff is the author of The Catcher was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg and In the Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music, and is the editor of the Library of America's Baseball: A Literary Anthology. He is also a contributor to The New Yorker, The American Scholar, and The New York Times Magazine. A graduate of Harvard University, he has been a Guggenheim Fellow and a Berlin Prize Fellow of the American Academy. He and his wife live in New York.