Detailed view for the Book: Elements of Lavishness, The

Title:

Elements of Lavishness, The
 

Authors:

Genres:

Non-Fiction
Autobiography/ Memoirs

Editions:

# Date Publisher Binding Cover
1 2001-00-00 Counterpoint  

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Blurb: 
Subtitle: The Letters of Sylvia Townsend Warner and William Maxwell, 1938-1978 Edited by Michael Steinman An instant classic in the literature of friendship: the witty, affectionate 40-year correspondence between a great story-writer and her New Yorker editor. It has been said that everything written is either poetry or prose. The 40 years of letters between Warner and Maxwell suggest that in the care of experts, the written word could simultaneously be both. Warner, poet, novelist, and short story writer, first came to Maxwell"s attention when he read her narrative poem "Opus 7." It was later, as a copywriter, and before his reign as the renowned editor of The New Yorker (the magazine published 153 of Warner"s short stories), that they began their remarkable correspondence. Although both were involved in other relationships (Maxwell married in 1945, and Warner had a 40-year lesbian relationship with poet Valentine Ackland), it is clear that they shared a platonic love. The letters are never mere reports but are passionate, lively, provocative, fun, and serious, too. The subject matter is wide-ranging: money, health, food, rejections, books and book reviews, cats and dogs, children, and, of course, writing. Regardless of age or gender, readers will love the Warner-Maxwell letters; expect the best of goosebumps. In this admirable collection, editor Michael Steinman, an English professor at Nassau Community College, includes entire letters as well as excerpts from more than 500 letters.