A literary landmark. Gellhorn's prose . . . is at its finest in the
letter form.--Francine du Plessix Gray, The New York Times Book
Review Martha Gellhorn's reporting career brought her to the front
lines of virtually every significant conflict from the Spanish
Civil War to the end of the cold war. While Gellhorn's wartime
dispatches rank among the best of the century, her personal letters
are their equal: as vivid and fascinating as her reporting was
trenchant. Gellhorn's correspondence introduces us to the woman
behind the often inscrutable journalist, chronicling her
friendships with twentieth-century luminaries as well as her
tempestuous marriage to Ernest Hemingway.
Caroline Moorehead, Gellhorn's critically acclaimed biographer, was
granted exclusive access to the letters. This expertly edited
volume contextualizes Gellhorn's correspondence within the arc of
her entire life; the result is an intimate portrait of one of the
most accomplished women of modern times. A distinguished
biographer, Caroline Moorehead has also served as a columnist on
human rights for two British newspapers. The author of the National
Book Critics Circle finalist Human Cargo: A Journey Among Refugees
and Gellhorn: A Twentieth-Century Life, Moorehead lives in London,
where she is currently at work on a biography of Lucy Dillon,
marquise de la Tour du Pin. Martha Gellhorn's heroic career as a
reporter brought her to the front lines of virtually every
significant international conflict from the Spanish Civil War until
the end of the Cold War. While Gellhorn's wartime dispatches rank
among the best of the century, her personal letters are their
equal: as vivid and fascinating as her reporting was trenchant.
Gellhorn's correspondence--chronicling friendships with figures as
diverse as Eleanor Roosevelt, Leonard Bernstein, and H. G. Wells,
as well as her tempestuous marriage to Ernest Hemingway--paint an
indelible portrait of the twentieth century as she lived it. The
letters introduce us to the woman behind the sometimes inscrutable
correspondent, a writer of wit, charm, and vulnerability. They also
contain sparkling sketches of noted public figures of the time, as
well as vignettes of Africa, Cuba, Panama, and many of the great
cities of Europe.
Caroline Moorehead, Gellhorn's critically acclaimed biographer, was
granted exclusive access to her papers. This expertly edited volume
provides prefatory and interstitial material written by Moorehead
to contextualize Gellhorn's correspondence within the arc of her
entire life. The result is a definitive yet intimate portrait of
one of the most accomplished women of modern times. A literary
landmark . . . Gellhorn's prose . . . is at its finest in the
letter form.--Francine du Plessix Gray, The New York Times Book
Review Where is the Martha Gellhorn biopic? Why hasn't some
enterprising movie producer figured out that this writer's
rip-roaring life is the stuff of breathless action-adventure? War
correspondent, novelist, short-story writer, playwright: She should
be as well known as Truman Capote, but the fact that she's a
historical footnote has more to do with the inbred sexism of
American mythmaking than with Gellhorn . . . These letters, which
have been placed into their proper historical context by
Moorehead's thoughtful annotations, reveal the indomitable spirit
of a titan of American letters. It's high time for Gellhorn to
emerge from the shadows of 20th-century literature into the bright
light of mainstream recognition.--Marc Weingarten, The Washington
Post Book World War correspondent, free spirit, and writer of
conscience Martha Gellhorn was beginning to fade into obscurity
when Caroline Moorehead reversed the process with her galvanizing
biography, Gellhorn. Moorehead now continues her mission to secure
Gellhorn her well-deserved place in the pantheon of
never-to-be-forgotten writers in this compelling, enjoyable
assemblage of letters.--Donna Seaman, Booklist Celebrated American
war reporter Martha Gellhorn (1908-1998) was a prolific
letter-writer, sharing with a circle of cherished intellectual
friends her declarations against war and poverty; her frustrations
in an almost exclusively male profession; her hopes for success as
a novelist; and disappointments in love. Gellhorn's biographer
organizes correspondence from 1930 to 1996, interspersing brief
commentaries that place it in the context of Gellhorn's nonstop
global assignments and various international domiciles. Gellhorn's
tone is typically warm, forthright and full of spirited analysis.
More guarded are letters to her former second husband, Ernest
Hemingway, and letters to her adopted son, Sandy, with whom she had
a troubled relationship. With Eleanor Roosevelt, a lifelong friend,
she shared a passionate liberal outlook; letters to Leonard
Bernstein attempt to convey her appreciation of his art. While
Gellhorn's unswerving energy and work ethic impress, her love of
fierce debate, hard drinking, male company and sunbathing, and her
capacity to lose her head in romance render her thoroughly human.
Particularly moving is Gellhorn's troubled passage into old age and
isolation in the African bush, before being rediscovered as a
grande dame of journalism by a young London literary crowd, in
whose company she delighted. Gellhorn's letters sparkle to the very
last.--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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