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
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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