Review
"Until a biography of this genius comes along, we have these letters, so ironic, idiosyncratic, and beautiful." —Guardian Book of the Year
"Self-deprecating, wry . . . the novelist's comic brio is wonderfully on show." —Sunday Times
"Among the most illuminating, moving collections of letters that I have ever read. The writing glows with love and wit [and] intellectual passion." —Financial Times
"Fitzgerald's letters, full of gaiety and exuberance, have been assiduously rounded up by her son-in-law from cupboards and attics. The pleasure of other people's mail is the trivia and Fitzgerald doesn't disappoint in this department. This book is crammed with domestic detail and reflections on food and drink, taxes and laws, seasons and landscapes." —Sunday Express
"Characteristically short, exquisitely constructed, and saying something extremely important, but something subtle and under-celebrated about the human condition as well! The letters are exciting for what they contribute towards the understanding of Fitzgerald's imagination." —Times Literary Supplement
Product Description
Acclaimed for her exquisitely elegant novels and superb biographies, Penelope Fitzgerald was one of the finest British authors of the last century. Published here for the first time are her collected letters. An unparalleled record of the life of this greatly admired writer, these letters reveal her most important family relationships and friendships, and paint a clear picture both of herself and of her correspondents. They show how she managed her own career—according to her own convictions—and how determined she was to put her world view across. A fascinating portrait of Penelope Fitzgerald as a mother, a friend, and a writer, these letters will give readers the same pleasure they gave to those who first opened them.
About the Author
Penelope Fitzgerald (1916–2000) was the author of nine novels, three biographies, and one collection of short stories. The Bookshop was short-listed for the Booker Prize, which she then won for Offshore. Her final book, The Blue Flower, won the National Book Critics award. Terence Dooley is Fitzgerald's son-in-law. A. S. Byatt is the Booker Prize–winning author of Little Black Book of Stories and Possession.
