Constellation of Genius 1922: Modernism and All That Jazz

"Drawing on diaries, letters and other snippets, Jackson composes a day-by-day account of his chosen year . . . Popular and high culture are equally celebrated in this Barnum’s Circus of a book. The volume is beautifully produced."

"Constellation of Genius is an insanely readable book about modernism. Indeed, I think it no disservice to Jackson to say that this is the primer the subject has been looking for: a way into its symbolic labyrinth for even the most literal-minded" -- Will Self Guardian "Drawing on diaries, letters and other snippets, Jackson composes a day-by-day account of his chosen year ... Popular and high culture are equally celebrated in this Barnum's Circus of a book. The volume is beautifully produced." Sunday Telegraph "Open this marvellous diary of a single year at any page and you will be struck by some startling moment of import in a life of genius or an epoch-making event." Sunday Herald "It's not easy for us today to share the intense excitement generated by a handful of highbrow authors among their cultivated readership ninety years ago; for those keen to learn more Kevin Jackson's lively guide to modernism's heyday comes as a welcome introduction. His book, pace Beckett, neatly identifies important episodes in a pivotal year, combining brief sketches of the talented protagonists with some shrewd evaluations ... When the factual whirlwind subsides, Jackson (a serious film buff) reflects briefly on the careers of Buster Keaton, Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang and Charlie Chaplin. These and many other digressions are deft, elegant and illuminating." Literary Review "Jackson writes well, with a good sense of detail, and when he gets going he provides nuggets of tasty trivia even for those who know something about the subject already." Sunday Times