Sharon Hogan; Elizabeth Hardwick vs Robert Lowell; Ernest Hemingway; Muriel Spark; and ex-husbands + a tweet from Lucy Fishwife & a photo from Amsterdam
Fascinating as always, Courtney! Can't wait to go find "Bad Sisters".
(And I found that Austen reference like a spectacular Easter egg waiting for me :) I'm thinking revenge writing might well be on every page of Austen!)
Yes, the desperation in those glib, smarmy, ex-written passages is nauseating!! Physically repugnant, and exponentially so because the set up and punchline, and coda, are patient and exquisitely smart. Vengeful, maybe, but by no means desperate.
I read this whole essay without my reading glasses and it almost killed me BUT it would have killed me more not to finish it. I'm reading along, loving all of it - you in Amsterdam stubbornly sans spectacles, Lowell and Hardwick, Horgan (who I love), and then I arrived at your ex. His desperation made me cringe but your deft and elegant handling of it made me want to give you a standing ovation. That sound you hear is me, clapping and saying Brava. Such grace. Such gorgeous prose. You, at 51, have arrived. Whenever you are ready to wear the glasses, you will wear them as beautifully and naturally as you write.
Loved your essay. Had my glasses on, which is all the more frustrating having had laser surgery to correct short-sight many years ago. Of course the problem with reading small print in middle age is not genetic but related to the fact that I’ve lived this long. And that’s good reason to celebrate. I wonder how you’ll feel 20 years on. All I can say is, being single in my sixties, and having time to write, is truly wonderful. Hope I can still do it even when I need walking sticks. Thanks for sharing your insights. Reading this has been a positive start to my day!
Fascinating as always, Courtney! Can't wait to go find "Bad Sisters".
(And I found that Austen reference like a spectacular Easter egg waiting for me :) I'm thinking revenge writing might well be on every page of Austen!)
Yes, the desperation in those glib, smarmy, ex-written passages is nauseating!! Physically repugnant, and exponentially so because the set up and punchline, and coda, are patient and exquisitely smart. Vengeful, maybe, but by no means desperate.
I read this whole essay without my reading glasses and it almost killed me BUT it would have killed me more not to finish it. I'm reading along, loving all of it - you in Amsterdam stubbornly sans spectacles, Lowell and Hardwick, Horgan (who I love), and then I arrived at your ex. His desperation made me cringe but your deft and elegant handling of it made me want to give you a standing ovation. That sound you hear is me, clapping and saying Brava. Such grace. Such gorgeous prose. You, at 51, have arrived. Whenever you are ready to wear the glasses, you will wear them as beautifully and naturally as you write.
Thanks for a fun and fascinating read! Young at heart, that’s what it’s all about. You can stay young at heart til you die.
Loved your essay. Had my glasses on, which is all the more frustrating having had laser surgery to correct short-sight many years ago. Of course the problem with reading small print in middle age is not genetic but related to the fact that I’ve lived this long. And that’s good reason to celebrate. I wonder how you’ll feel 20 years on. All I can say is, being single in my sixties, and having time to write, is truly wonderful. Hope I can still do it even when I need walking sticks. Thanks for sharing your insights. Reading this has been a positive start to my day!