On Wed, 10 Mar 1999 JD_Kemp@notes.ymp.gov wrote:
> Have you ever noticed that so many of Egan's stories, especially the
> ones about "car crazy youth" or "life -vs- car addiction" are EXACT,
> perfect, mirror images of things we've all done?
Yep, he's definitely "one of us". But he's also brilliant at describing
things I haven't done myself--he's probably 20 years older than I am, and
has owned many more interesting cars than I have. But, having read him for
many years, I have a pretty good sense of what owning/restoring a 356, a
host of MG's, an E-type, etc., must be like.
He also manages to tackle so much more of life than just the habits of a
car and racing fanatic--he writes eloquently about a great many things.
That said, my favorite piece of his still has to be "Tuning Secrets of the
Very Slow", which usually gets me doubled-over laughing before I get
halfway through. It's another perfect example of what you're talking
about: a column that rings perfectly true to anyone who has ever tried to
make a car go faster and failed utterly (which includes, I suppose, just
about everyone who has tried to make their car go faster). As Peter would
say, "a driver with flash burns is a slow driver".
R&T published a collection of his "Side Glances" column in book form a few
years ago, which I'd recommend for any car and racing buff. More recently,
they put together a collection of his articles dealing with road trips and
related stories, which are equally good. Both are probably still available
from R&T, or places like Classic Motorbooks.
Tom
|