5 ms·

Goodbye to all that

24 points by helwr 16y ago

MaysonL 16y ago
See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good-Bye_to_All_That http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good-Bye_to_All_That
shib71 16y ago
Fascinating read, but would benefit from the attention of an editor.
- michael_dorfman 16y ago
  This was printed in Saturday Evening Post(in 1967), so it did have the attention of the their editors. On the other hand, Didion said that she submitted pieces there because the pay was good, and the editors "would let you do whatever you wanted".
mturmon 16y ago
She's a beautiful writer with a very distinct voice. Observant, noticing the telling details. Her essay compilations "Slouching towards Bethlehem" and "The White Album" are essential reading if you're interested in California in the late 1960s and into the 1970s -- she lived in LA at the time, and is definitely an outsider to the hippie/boomer explosion, some of the side-effects of which are in the essays. (The essay above was about her move from Manhattan to LA; she grew up in Sacramento.) Another influential essay of hers is "The Deferential Spirit" from 1996 (teaser at http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1996/sep/19/the-deferential-spirit/?page=1 http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1996/sep/19/the-def...) which demolishes the technique and works of Bob Woodward.
jogle 16y ago
I really connected to this piece a lot: I'm in my 20s, in NYC for the first time, grew up in the South, and am completely infatuated with this place for some unable-to-be-explained reason. I suppose that a lot of us who have been very young in New York have the same scenes in our home screens. I remember sitting in a lot of apartments with a slight headache about five o’clock in the morning. I had a friend who could not sleep... It's so easy to fall in love with this city but so hard to describe the reason why. She did a great job.
grannyg00se 16y ago
In all of that writing I didn't pick up anything that was particularly special about that particular city. What I did notice was the frequent mention of very good friends. The type that let you stay in their place while they are away. She seemed to have plenty of good friends and plenty of parties to attend. I think any city would seem wonderful in that situation.
sid6376 16y ago
This was so beautiful that i almost cried. But what it certainly did was enhance the charm for NYC. I am a 24 year old Indian with little hope of making it to NY in my 20's but when i get there eventually, i will try to remember this piece.

Goodbye to all that

24 points by helwr 16y ago

MaysonL 16y ago

See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good-Bye_to_All_That http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good-Bye_to_All_That

shib71 16y ago

Fascinating read, but would benefit from the attention of an editor.

michael_dorfman 16y ago
This was printed in Saturday Evening Post(in 1967), so it did have the attention of the their editors. On the other hand, Didion said that she submitted pieces there because the pay was good, and the editors "would let you do whatever you wanted".

mturmon 16y ago

She's a beautiful writer with a very distinct voice. Observant, noticing the telling details. Her essay compilations "Slouching towards Bethlehem" and "The White Album" are essential reading if you're interested in California in the late 1960s and into the 1970s -- she lived in LA at the time, and is definitely an outsider to the hippie/boomer explosion, some of the side-effects of which are in the essays. (The essay above was about her move from Manhattan to LA; she grew up in Sacramento.) Another influential essay of hers is "The Deferential Spirit" from 1996 (teaser at http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1996/sep/19/the-deferential-spirit/?page=1 http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1996/sep/19/the-def...) which demolishes the technique and works of Bob Woodward.

jogle 16y ago

I really connected to this piece a lot: I'm in my 20s, in NYC for the first time, grew up in the South, and am completely infatuated with this place for some unable-to-be-explained reason. I suppose that a lot of us who have been very young in New York have the same scenes in our home screens. I remember sitting in a lot of apartments with a slight headache about five o’clock in the morning. I had a friend who could not sleep... It's so easy to fall in love with this city but so hard to describe the reason why. She did a great job.

grannyg00se 16y ago

In all of that writing I didn't pick up anything that was particularly special about that particular city. What I did notice was the frequent mention of very good friends. The type that let you stay in their place while they are away. She seemed to have plenty of good friends and plenty of parties to attend. I think any city would seem wonderful in that situation.

sid6376 16y ago

This was so beautiful that i almost cried. But what it certainly did was enhance the charm for NYC. I am a 24 year old Indian with little hope of making it to NY in my 20's but when i get there eventually, i will try to remember this piece.