The Knowledge

by Steven Pressfield

[viking2917]

You probably know Pressfield as the author of Gates of Fire. Or maybe The Legend of Bagger Vance. Or maybe The War of Art. All amazing works.

The Knowledge is like no other Pressfield book. Hemingway famously said "Writing is easy. All you have to do is sit at a typewriter and bleed". And I think Pressfield really bled for this.

The Knowledge stars Stretch, an aspiring writer and oft-times jackass. He's crude, testosterone-filled, and makes bad choices. The Knowledge is subtitled A Too Close to True Novel and it's a near-autobiographical view into how an immature, undisciplined young writer becomes a pro, and grows up in the process. It's great reading and goes down easy and quick. If you've read Pressfield, this book is mandatory - you'll see him in a whole new way, no matter how much of this is "true".