The editor a writer dreams of and the writer an editor yearns for come to life in this exchange of letters. Maxwell Perkins, of course, is the legendary editor of Thomas Wolfe, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald when they were being published by Scribner’s. Majorie Kinnan Rawlings, best known for her novel The Yearling, came to Perkins’ attention when she submitted a story for a contest being run by Scribner’s magazine. The first exchange of letters in 1930 established a pattern that would continue until Perkins died in 1947, for a total of 698 letters, notes, and telegrams, according to editor Tarr (Illinois State Univ.; Poems by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, 1997). Perkins praises the story (eventually published as “Jacob’s Ladder”) and then gently offers specific suggestions for revisions, recommending a completely new ending. Rawlings responds with gratitude (“I appreciate your painstaking criticism”) and complies with a rewrite. From then on, Perkins in his Manhattan office and Rawlings in her Florida backwater formed a team that would lead to commercial and artistic success, including a Pulitzer Prize. Even as Rawlings’ international reputation grew, Perkins coaxed her in new directions, often urging her to rethink plot, character, and organization. She was almost always receptive to his suggestions, even as she grew more confident of her abilities as a writer. Besides literary debate, their letters were full of gossip and news of mutual friends (Hemingway stories abound), as well as mundane discussions of deadlines, page proofs, and remuneration. Perkins would often send her the latest books from the Scribner list, and she would send him crates of oranges along with funny stories and introductions to talented friends (Zora Neale Hurston was one writer she recommended). The evolution of a literary partnership at its best, with Rawlings revealing the anguish, frustration, and fulfillment of a dedicated writer’s life and Perkins the empathy and unwavering standards of a remarkable editor. (Facsimiles, 6 b&w photos, most not seen.)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8130-1691-6
Page Count: 625
Publisher: Univ. Press of Florida
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1999
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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