What Nails It
Published on 25. November 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
104 pages
978-0-300-28552-9 (ISBN)
Description
From a celebrated critic, a heartfelt and adventurous reflection on the art of writing about art
"Essential for fans of Marcus and fruitful reading for anyone reflecting on the mysteries of art."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Writers write. They can't help it. They can't not." In this spirited book, the revered cultural critic Greil Marcus explains his compulsion as a yearning for fun, for play, and, most of all, to discover-to feel the moment when a creation speaks in its own voice.
Marcus reflects on over half a century spent honing the art of attention-from his California childhood, overshadowed by mystery and silence surrounding his father's death, to his discovery of the critic Pauline Kael, to a confrontation with a sixteenth-century painting in Venice. Through it all, he invites readers to join him in exploring the revolutionary power of art: what it is, why it captures us, and how it forces us to confront what we think we know and who we think we are. Art challenges us to see the world differently, Marcus argues, and the role of the critic is to enact this perspective.
Funny and poignant, What Nails It is a tribute to the indispensable art of criticism by one of its greatest practitioners.
"Essential for fans of Marcus and fruitful reading for anyone reflecting on the mysteries of art."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Writers write. They can't help it. They can't not." In this spirited book, the revered cultural critic Greil Marcus explains his compulsion as a yearning for fun, for play, and, most of all, to discover-to feel the moment when a creation speaks in its own voice.
Marcus reflects on over half a century spent honing the art of attention-from his California childhood, overshadowed by mystery and silence surrounding his father's death, to his discovery of the critic Pauline Kael, to a confrontation with a sixteenth-century painting in Venice. Through it all, he invites readers to join him in exploring the revolutionary power of art: what it is, why it captures us, and how it forces us to confront what we think we know and who we think we are. Art challenges us to see the world differently, Marcus argues, and the role of the critic is to enact this perspective.
Funny and poignant, What Nails It is a tribute to the indispensable art of criticism by one of its greatest practitioners.
Reviews / Votes
"Marcus is safely among the first three names a young rock writer will encounter (and pretty likely the first) so it's interesting to learn what set him off."-Michael Prodger, New Statesman"Essential for fans of Marcus and fruitful reading for anyone reflecting on the mysteries of art."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Marcus remains lucid, erudite company. For music and film lovers and aspiring critics alike, this is a treat."-Publishers Weekly
"Rich. . . . The pages show a nimble, purposeful mind at work."-Chris Vognar, San Francisco Chronicle
"Marcus is a steady hand. . . . He (and his spirit force) still writes the best rock criticism over land and sea."-Mark Watkins Reviews (blog)
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
3 b-w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 170 mm
Width: 115 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
108 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-28552-9 (9780300285529)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Greil Marcus is the author of many books, from Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music in 1975 to Folk Music: A Bob Dylan Biography in Seven Songs in 2022. With Werner Sollors he is the editor of A New Literary History of America (2009).