The Uncollected Essays of Elizabeth Hardwick

Essays of Elizabeth Hardwick #2

by Elizabeth Hardwick, Alex Andriesse (Editor)

Essays on music, art, pop culture, literature, and politics by the renowned essayist and observer of contemporary life, now collected together for the first time. The Uncollected Essays of Elizabeth Hardwick is a companion collection to The Collected Essays, a book that proved a revelation of what, for many, had been an open that Elizabeth Hardwick was one of the great American literary critics, and an extraordinary stylist in her own right. The thirty-five pieces that Alex Andriesse has gathered here—none previously featured in volumes of Hardwick’s work—make it clear that her powers extended far beyond literary criticism, encompassing a vast range of subjects, from New York City to Faye Dunaway, from Wagner’s Parsifal to Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions, and from the pleasures of summertime to grits soufflé. In these often surprising, always well-wrought essays, we see Hardwick’s passion for people and places, her politics, her thoughts on feminism, and her ability, especially from the 1970s on, to write well about seemingly anything.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, 20th Century, American, Criticism, Collections, Literature

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2022

About the author

Elizabeth Hardwick was a formidable American literary critic, novelist, and short story writer who reshaped the landscape of American intellectual life. After earning degrees from the University of Kentucky and pursuing graduate studies at Columbia, she gained notoriety for her 1959 essay "The Decline of Book Reviewing." This scathing critique directly inspired her to co-found The New York Review of Books in 1963. A prolific essayist and novelist, her major works include the novel Sleepless Nights and influential criticism such as Seduction and Betrayal. Hardwick was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and mentored a generation of writers at Barnard and Columbia. Her posthumously published collections continue to cement her legacy as one of the twentieth century’s most brilliant prose stylists.

Reviews

[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this collection !! I hadn’t read any Hardwick previously but was familiar with her name—I feel like I read once that someone said Hardwick was to New York what Didion was to California? I really admired her essays about reading (“On Reading the Writings of Women,” “Reading,” and “Southern Literature”), and there were so many other standouts?! So much within the Feminine Principle section, in the Musings section the piece about Leonardo daVinci’s inventions and “The Heart of the Seasons.” Was so interesting to read her thoughts on some more political events of the 90s—the Kennedy scandals, Mendez brothers trials, OJ Simpson trial, Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, etc. Felt like learning from—and occasionally gossiping with (loved her short satires, celebrity pieces)—an incredibly articulate, intelligent friend or candid, thought-provoking professor.

[Christina Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

No one writes like Hardwick anymore. I absolutely love her prose which clearly shows the influence of all her time spent among poets. Her writing is the product of a bygone era, so it is particularly interesting to read about the Menendez brothers and the OJ Simpson trial in her words. Still, many of the essays felt stale and circuitous to me—most likely due to the passage of time.
I particularly liked her writings on women and feminism because they felt unique and her writings on celebrity which are probably more relevant now than they were 50-60 years ago. My favorite essay was probably “Reading.”

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed a book that would “intimidate me” for one of my 2023 book challenges. This New York Book Review (NYBR) classic selection from June 2022 seemed to top the list mostly because essays and poetry are two genres I’m least likely to choose to read so this book seemed apropos to fit the prompt. This is the first time too I’ve read this author. She’s a beautiful writer and I would say after reading these essays I’m intimated by her brilliance. The book for me at least was actually a romp through time and memory as the essays span between the 1950s-1990s, the period of my youth. The essays spanning such topics as women’s issues, politics, and general discourse about the realities of life were eye opening in that not much has seemed to change since they were written causing one to ponder on how little mankind really grows. Hardwick will throw in a pithy almost comedic comment here and there leaving one with a wry smirk - sometimes an outright laugh. All in all, it wasn’t too bad of a read though I still will chose fiction over essays as my preferential read.

[andré crombie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beethoven said, "He who understands my music can never be unhappy again." A paraphrase can only reduce the meaning of this. In the end when you say that you have loved a novel read long ago you can only mean that it made you happy to read it. I am sure this is why art is a sacred calling; we want happiness more than we want knowledge. Indeed they are united in art, happiness and knowledge.
The unexpected and the unpredictable also affirm the sacred character of art; it falls like grace upon the just and the unjust, the good man and the wayward one. We cannot ask for anything more to our sense of things than the obscure birth of Shakespeare; it satisfies our faith in the mysteriousness of nature, it tells us once more that the plan of things will never be revealed.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed by this collection. Some of the essays have truly aged poorly (leave Jimmy Carter alone! lol).

[Frazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently I've been getting into essays. The form invokes a certain sense of space, of freedom, as if by writing *an essay* the author signals that they should not be held accountable for their views outside this particular context. A provisionality, playfulness, ease. As delightful to read as difficult to write.
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I think a condition of writing a work of non-fiction should be to write an essay crystallizing the book. Unfortunately, it's a function of the publishing industry that this doesn't happen often. Luckily, there are a few excellent publications dedicated to just these kind of essays.
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And it was one of these that prompted me to read this collection of uncollected essays by Elizabeth Hardwick - the American author and critic roughly contemporaneous with Susan Sontag.
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Hardwick's style is incisive, fearless (to the point of rudeness and beyond), unexpected ('As the wind prompts the sailboats in the bay...'). I think just reading her has made me a better writer, or at least a less frightened one. Her sentences frequently repaid rereading, difficult sentences especially. She's not a good writer to skim. What stood out is the responsibility she gives the reader, to infer, to join the dots, to have really a great deal of prior knowledge.
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The essays in this collection are loosely grouped by theme but have no real connection to each other. This made for a freshness that complemented the essay form as well as Hardwick's own style, despite the weight of some of the subject matter (on the suicide of young women, famous double homicides etc).
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Just the titles of these essays - 'Things', 'Reading', 'Piety and Politics' and my favourite, 'The art of the essay' - almost physically enticed me to read on.
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A collection beautifully produced by @nyrbooks and edited by Alex Andriesse. Perfect for anyone wanting to understand more about US culture or quality writing.
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Thank you to the inimitable @londonreviewofbooks and Joanne O'Leary for the inspiration.
#elizabethhardwick #uncollectedessays #criticism #bookrecommendation #bookreview #bookstagram #igreads #whatimreading #bookjoy #america #USA #literary #literature #bookclub #booktok #book @readnz

[Elderberrywine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of essays written from approximately 1950 through 1990 by proto-feminist Elizabeth Hardwick, primarily for magazines, and more importantly, magazines for the female reader such as Vogue, House & Garden, and Mademoiselle. They are on various random topics such as cheese grits and Parsifal, but the bulk of them are on political topics or what she referred to as “the feminine principle”. Let’s take a look.

The old feminist, the brilliant, self-assertive, daring, reforming woman is as extinct as a dodo, and the movement called feminism could not fill a small lecture hall. There’s not much need for agitation, in the political sense, because legal, social, and economic rights for women are fairly well won.

Written in 1958. Well, I’m glad we got that out of the way. Very much an entitled, white woman, ladies-who-lunch take on the whole matter. No wonder many of these essays ended up being uncollected.

But there are some essays I particularly liked, such as Lexington, Kentucky, her home town until she moved to New York City in her early twenties.

But all I know about planting, all I remember, are the violets and the lilies of the valley at Castlewood , . . . and tomato plants at our own resistant garden, and gladiola bulbs, yielding after effort, finally their pinkish-orange goblets, and the difficult dahlia, forever procrastinating, heavily blooming at last

I could have taken more of that. Tell me more about the horses.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first saw this book quite a while ago at Type Books in Toronto. It was under the cultural studies section and it had a funky cover so I picked it up. I skimmed through the table of contents and saw that there was an essay on the Kennedy scandals, this piqued my interest. I didn’t end up buying it because I was on the lookout for a gift for my brother. A few months later I saw it in a bookstore in Montreal and thought: it’s a sign…I must buy. I chose to start reading this book in an effort to get out of a reading slump because I thought short essays would make a quick and easy read. The essays are short and engaging (for the most part) but I find Hardwick’s style quite dense. It definitely demands the readers attention. My favourite essays in the “uncollected” collection were: “The Kennedy Scandals”, “Head Over Heels”, “Suicide and Women”, and “Southern Literature”. Not sure we needed two different essays on the Menendez Trials though.

[Lila · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title rather throws me...how can a collection of essays be "uncollected"? But this is a companion volume to The Collected Essays, so they had to call it something. The editor has rounded up pieces from magazines that had not been earlier featured in collections. Hardwick was a wonderful stylist. The topics are uneven: pieces on politics from the 1970s, thoughts on women and feminism written at a time when no one wanted to be called a feminist, and travel pieces. A June 2022 NYRB Classics selection.

[Valerie Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her super sharp mind and wit makes me want to read more. I found her reflections on the worlds of Kentucky, New York, and Maine from those eras fascinating, as so much has been changed and lost since she wrote about each.

[Andrew Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

world-class essayist

[John Back · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is Elizabeth Hardwick the greatest American grammarian of all time? My god

[Tess Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stumbled through this, need to reread

[Paul Womack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew her not until this volume came in my NYR of Books subscription. I found the collection unevern, but that says more about me than her talent. I shall read more.

[Victoria Tang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite progressive for the era. I really enjoyed the last few essays on reading and women writers, as well as the essay on the Menendez trial.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

No one writes prose like hardwick