John Cage was one of the most extraordinary and intriguing composers of the twentieth century--or perhaps of any century. His vast corpus of musical compositions, writings, and performances has amazed, amused, bored, enlightened, angered, and fascinated audiences throughout the world. Despite the controversy surrounding his work, there is little disagreement about his role as one of the most important and influential members of the avant-garde.

In Writings about John Cage, the renowned Cage expert Richard Kostelanetz has collected the writings of thirty-seven prominent scholars and critics. Selections include articles by the composers Henry Cowell, Peggy Glanville-Hicks, Lou Harrison, Michael Nyman, Virgil Thomson, and Christian Wolff; by literary figures Paul Bowles, John Hollander, and Manfredi Piccolomini; by critics Daniel Charles, Jill Johnston, Edward Rothstein, Calvin Tomkins, and Peter Yates; and by performers Merce Cunningham and Paul Zukofsky. The contributions cover all aspects of Cage's life and career, including his music, his aesthetics, his prose and poetry, his visual art, and his contributions to modern dance.

Richard Kostelanetz is a poet and critic who has written and edited numerous books on aesthetics, the avant-garde, and literature, including The Avant-Garde Tradition in Literature, On Innovative Music(ian)s, The Theatre of Mixed Means, and Esthetics Contemporary. He is the author of The Old Poetries and the New, also published by the University of Michigan Press. His books on Cage include John Cage and Conversing with Cage.

". . . the most intelligently chosen book of writings about Cage that I've seen. . . . Kostelanetz is a practiced and gifted anthologist, with the discriminating eye of a litterateur, the sensibility of a poet, and the ear of a musician. . . . . [N]o matter how we read Writings about John Cage, we learn--from intelligent and serious teachers whose writings are worth the effort."--Institute for Studies in American Music Newsletter

". . . belongs in the library of anyone who is trying to understand and to deal with John Cage."--Performing Arts Journal