Friend of Henry James
For a generation after her death in 1937, Edith Wharton’s writing was dismissed as so much “violets and old lace.” People remembered her primarily as Henry James’ friend. (Via.)
For a generation after her death in 1937, Edith Wharton’s writing was dismissed as so much “violets and old lace.” People remembered her primarily as Henry James’ friend. (Via.)
It is not her biographer’s fault, says Michael Gorra, that some readers will like Wharton the woman far less after reading a new biography. (Via; excerpt.)
Authors’ covert praise for their own books on Amazon soon will be illegal in the EU. (Thanks, Max.)
The Smart Set is a weekly feature, compiled by Lauren Cerand, that usually appears Mondays at 12:30pm and highlights the best of the week to come. Special favor is given to New York’s independent booksellers and venues, and low-cost and free events. Please send details to lauren [at] maudnewton.com by the Thursday prior to publication, with the event’s date in . . .
“Among the many things that distinguished literature at the turn of the 19th century was the quality and creative richness of the friendships that produced it.”