How much of the human experience can fit into 750 words? A lot, it turns out. Since its founding in 1997, Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction has published hundreds of brief nonfiction essays by writers around the world, each within that strict word count. The Best of Brevity brings together 84 of the best-loved and most memorable reader favorites.
There is no formula; these essays of 750 or fewer words include lists and 'found' essays, lyric essays, researched essays, even graphic memoir. They work because they are efficient on the sentence level, cutting to the rhetorical nub without sacrificing their power to evoke ... The immersive effect of reading this anthology straight through is the opposite of a flash experience, and is also lovely, like rolling down a sidewalk of lit windows ... So much beauty, so much grief — the whole range of experience flashing by, leaving impressions as it passes.
These micro essays explore a diversity of perspectives ... Every essay proves that length is no indicator of depth, and that, over twenty years in, Brevity is relevant and necessary.
... marvelous, diverse ... Readers will find some familiar names, including Roxane Gay and Jia Tolentino, but also gems from lesser-known writers ... This collection will be an asset to writing teachers and students, and a joy to essay fans.
