Reviewing one’s own is always an awkward task. John Ciardi solves the problem at Saturday Review by reviewing himself; and there is something to be said for this, at least in Ciardi’s case. It is all too seldom that a writer gets the kind of critic he deserves. And, too, the joke is obvious; the danger of seeming partial is obviated, and the pulled punches less offensive. (Not that many punches seem thinkable among book-reviewers nowadays; they know their place, pray for peace, and read the dustjackets.)
The Stoic Comedians: Flaubert, Joyce and Beckett, by Hugh Kenner. Beacon, $3.95
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