Mary McCarthy Livres

Mary McCarthy's essays on Florence, which originally appeared in The New Yorker, offer an insightful, mesmerizing look into Florence's genealogy, archaeology, art, culture, and political life.

American writer Mary McCarthy and Hannah Arendt, a philosopher who had fled Nazi Germany, met in New York City, and soon became friends. In Between Friends, a complete record of their epistolary dialogue which lasted a remarkable 25 years, the two intellectual celebrities trade ideas about politics, literature, and morality, and share gossip and intimate domestic details.

How would you react if you were diagnosed with terminal cancer? How would you feel? This is the situation for Emer Dorgan, a librarian in her fifties who has been looking forward to early retirement and the freedom to pursue her hobbies and dreams. Coming to terms with the awful prognosis is Emer's biggest challenge but it also permeates the lives of those who love her. Together they embark on a turbulent, irreverent but ultimately heart-warming roller-coaster ride as Emer lives out her last days. There is still so much life to be a sentimental journey, a house to be renovated, an encounter with a blast from the past, and a new life to be brought into the world by her beloved American niece Avril who comes to stay with her. And what of reconciliation? For this is a family torn apart by tragedy and a horrific secret concerning the violent death of Avril's mother many years before. Can Emer's approaching death work miracles? How you die is as important as how you live.

This volume brings together Miss McCarthy's lively controversial essays on the theatre from the 1930's up to the present day. The intelligence and vitality of the author's analysis brings past productions of Shakespeare, Shaw, Ibsen, Chekhov, Wild, Odets, Saroyan, Wilder back to the reader with immediacy and freshness. Written in her trenchant prose, Miss McCarthy's articles on the drama are amusing, sharp, original and penetrating.

Pass her in the street and she would turn your head, She looks like she has all the answers. She looks like a woman in control. That is until a trip to Vienna turns into a nightmare. Anonymous phone calls, footsteps following her - a stalker.

Published in 1942, Mary McCarthy's first novel creates a fascinating portrait of a 1930s New York social circle.

"The author's personal journey through Florence and Venice, two cities whose names are associated with the Renaissance."--blackwells.co.uk viewed June 29, 2022

Mary McCarthy was a prominent literary figure known for her novels, memoirs, and incisive social criticism. Starting as a theater reviewer, she offered witty commentary on various topics, showcasing her sharp, humorous, and erudite style. This collection of essays spans her career and reflects the cultural controversies in American intellectual life.