Those of us who are concerned with forgotten, neglected or generally under-valued female authors are grateful to Virago, the international publisher of books by women. Through the efforts of Virago, we have been able to continue reading our favorite female authors like Daphne du Maurier, Muriel Spark, and others who, astonishingly, and frequently, are out-of-print or in watered-down editions.
To celebrate its fortieth years, Virago is publishing special editions (with striking book covers) of several gems of the female canon: Zora Neale Hurston's THEIR EYES ARE WATCHING GOD, Angela's Carter THE MAGIC TOYSHOP, THE DUD AVOCADO by humorist Elaine Dundy, FACES IN THE WATER by Janet Frame, THE WEATHER IN THE STREETS by the unjustly ignored Rosamond Lehmann, A VIEW OF THE HARBOR by elegant stylist Elizabeth Taylor, along with some better-known entries, like the wicked MEMENTO MORI by my idol, Muriel Spark, and HEARTBURN by Nora Ephron. Even if you own a sad, dog-eared paperback, you might want to replace it with one of these lovely books, much as I've replaced my old Chandlers with Library of America editions.
But most enticing of all is a special essay collection, Writers as Readers: A Celebration of Virago Modern Classics. I'm excited to hear what writers like Ali Smith and Claire Messud have to say about their favorites. There's nothing quite as revealing about an author as the writers she admires -- whom do they compare themselves to? who is on their bookshelf? I fell in love with Muriel Spark when one of her characters admired Cavafy. Mystery writer Carol Goodman lured me with a mention of Muriel Spark. Yet, another author lost my affection when she confessed that she loathed Jane Austen. Taste matters.
To celebrate its fortieth years, Virago is publishing special editions (with striking book covers) of several gems of the female canon: Zora Neale Hurston's THEIR EYES ARE WATCHING GOD, Angela's Carter THE MAGIC TOYSHOP, THE DUD AVOCADO by humorist Elaine Dundy, FACES IN THE WATER by Janet Frame, THE WEATHER IN THE STREETS by the unjustly ignored Rosamond Lehmann, A VIEW OF THE HARBOR by elegant stylist Elizabeth Taylor, along with some better-known entries, like the wicked MEMENTO MORI by my idol, Muriel Spark, and HEARTBURN by Nora Ephron. Even if you own a sad, dog-eared paperback, you might want to replace it with one of these lovely books, much as I've replaced my old Chandlers with Library of America editions.
But most enticing of all is a special essay collection, Writers as Readers: A Celebration of Virago Modern Classics. I'm excited to hear what writers like Ali Smith and Claire Messud have to say about their favorites. There's nothing quite as revealing about an author as the writers she admires -- whom do they compare themselves to? who is on their bookshelf? I fell in love with Muriel Spark when one of her characters admired Cavafy. Mystery writer Carol Goodman lured me with a mention of Muriel Spark. Yet, another author lost my affection when she confessed that she loathed Jane Austen. Taste matters.
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