Devotion: A Memoir (inscribed to Peter Matthiessen with ALS)
Harper, 2010. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Association copy, inscribed to Peter Matthiessen on the title page: "To Peter, With affection and admiration, Dani Shapiro." Additionally, laid in is a note on a "Shapiro/Maren" stationary card, dated January 4, 2010: "Dear Peter, I haven't visited out east for the past few years instead, I've stayed close to home, getting quiet as possible. The result is this my new memoir which is coming out next month. I very much hope you will enjoy it. Wishing you a wonderful 2010. As ever, Dani." Shapiro is a best-selling memoirist (she appeared on Oprah to talk about Devotion), most recently of the much-discussed Inheritance about the discovery that her father wasn't in fact her biological father there had been a mix-up at a fertility clinic. In a short essay, "On Readiness," Shapiro recollects some of Matthiessen s influence on her: "I remember once interviewing Peter Matthiessen, a literary hero of mine, and with the sweep of his hand, he said of his own work: the first five books aren t worth reading. At the time, I had written three books and was working on my fourth. I was in my early thirties, Matthiessen was in his seventies. I realized with a jolt that the number of his own books that he was dismissing was higher than the number I had written. It was horrifying, but also edifying. Because what he was really saying is that he had gotten better with each book. He felt more in control of his craft than he had earlier in his writing life. That s a wonderful thing to be able to feel and to say." This passage later appeared in slightly revised form in her memoir Hourglass. An interesting association across generations and realms of popularity. Please inquire for photos. Fine / Fine. Item #ABE-1593634421404
ISBN: 9780061628344
Price: $375.00 save 5% $356.25