Synopses & Reviews
From Martha Gellhorn's critically acclaimed biographer, the first collected letters of this defining figure of the twentieth-century.
Martha Gellhorn's heroic career as a reporter brought her to the front lines of virtually every significant international conflict between the Spanish Civil War and 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 anything she ever published.
Gellhorn's correspondence from 1930 to 1996 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 a vivid picture of the twentieth century as she lived it.
Caroline Moorehead, who was granted exclusive access to the letters, has expertly edited this fascinating volume, providing prefatory and interstitial material that contextualizes Gellhorn's correspondence within the arc of her entire life. The letters introduce us to the woman behind the correspondent a writer of wit, charm, and vulnerability. The result is an exhilarating, intimate portrait of one of the most accomplished women of modern times.
Review
"Beyond the illustriousness of her correspondents...what makes this book a literary landmark is that Gellhorn's prose, splendid enough in her 13 published books of fiction, travel writing and reportage, is at its finest in the letter form." Francine du Plessix Gray, The New York Times
Review
"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." Booklist
Review
"Whatever else she was novelist, travel writer, celebrity wife, socialite Martha Gellhorn was one of the greatest American war correspondents of her generation or any other....Now that we have a generous selection of her letters, assembled by her biographer, Caroline Moorehead, we can piece together her account of the marriage [to Ernest Hemingway]. She left him because he was a crybaby and got in the way of her work." Christopher Benfey, The New Republic (read the entire New Republic review)
Synopsis
From the acclaimed biographer of Martha Gellhorn, one of the 20th century's most prolific reporters, comes this collection of Gellhorn's letters that introduces the woman behind the correspondent a writer of wit, charm, and vulnerability. The result is an exhilarating, intimate portrait of one of the most accomplished women of modern times.
Synopsis
"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.
About the Author
A distinguished biographer, Caroline Moorehead has also served as a columnist on human rights for two British newspapers. She lives in London.