From the best-selling author of the National Book Award-winning The Year of Magical Thinking two extended excerpts from her never-before-seen notebooks--writings that offer an illuminating glimpse into the mind and process of a legendary writer.
Joan Didion has always kept notebooks: of overheard dialogue, observations, interviews, drafts of essays and articles--and here is one such draft that traces a road trip she took with her husband, John Gregory Dunne, in June 1970, through Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. She interviews prominent local figures, describes motels, diners, a deserted reptile farm, a visit with Walker Percy, a ladies' brunch at the Mississippi Broadcasters' Convention. She writes about the stifling heat, the almost viscous pace of life, the sulfurous light, and the preoccupation with race, class, and heritage she finds in the small towns they pass through. And from a different notebook: the "California Notes" that began as an assignment from Rolling Stone on the Patty Hearst trial of 1976. Though Didion never wrote the piece, watching the trial and being in San Francisco triggered thoughts about the city, its social hierarchy, the Hearsts, and her own upbringing in Sacramento. Here, too, is the beginning of her thinking about the West, its landscape, the western women who were heroic for her, and her own lineage, all of which would appear later in her acclaimed 2003 book, Where I Was From."synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
"South and West is a compelling book -- rooted utterly in a past now all but lost to us, while also incredibly timely and relevant...[it] bears the hallmarks of Didion's sparkling prose: her use of detail, juxtaposition, and compression...sentence fragment, description, and insight...Originally written in the 1970s as a pair of diaries, it finally sees the light of day at a moment when California and the Real America of the South are warring over the soul of the country.... South and West is vital, ultimately, for how it demonstrates (even inadvertently) how such a tension plays out."
--Colin Dickey, The Los Angeles Review of Books
"You'll learn more about America's future from Didion's 40-year-old field notes...than you will from tomorrow's newspaper."
--Esquire
JOAN DIDION is the author of five novels and nine books of nonfiction, including The Year of Magical Thinking and Blue Nights. Her collected nonfiction, We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live, was published by Everyman's Library in 2006. Born in Sacramento, California, Didion now lives in New York City.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
£ 3
Within U.S.A.
Seller: KuleliBooks, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. The book may have minor cosmetic wear (i.e. creased spine/cover, scratches, curled corners, folded pages, minor sunburn, minor water damage, minor bent). The book may have some highlights/notes/underlined pages - Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included - Safe and Secure Mailer - No Hassle Return. Seller Inventory # 521PY6002R8U
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00067259609
Quantity: 3 available
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00075406031
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ZBK Books, Carlstadt, NJ, U.S.A.
Condition: very_good. Used book in very good and clean conditions. Minor cosmetic defects may be present. Pages and cover intact. May include library marks, notes marks and highlighting. Fast Shipping. Seller Inventory # ZWM.3BF1
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Goodwill, Brooklyn Park, MN, U.S.A.
Condition: Acceptable. Cover/Case has some rubbing and edgewear. Access codes, CDs, slipcovers and other accessories may not be included. Seller Inventory # 2Y6RUU001D01_ns
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Upward Bound Books, VALRICO, FL, U.S.A.
Condition: Acceptable. This item is worn. Signs of wear may include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents and worn corners. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy number of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Seller Inventory # 59WS4H0015I0_ns
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. First Edition. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 13469192-6
Quantity: 6 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. First Edition. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 14783892-6
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: Better World Books: West, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. First Edition. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 13469192-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # GRP101968894
Quantity: 1 available