While re-reading Margarite Yourcenar's Memoirs of Hadrian, I had the feeling we had read someone's recommendation of it in one of our "Books That You Should Read, or at least, Never Have Forgotten." It was the former: Richard Canning's Fifty Gay [etc etc (see below)] Must Read. Five years ago we had discussed the 22nd essay titled "Memoirs of Hadrian" by Edmund White. I couldn't remember why he had recommended it and eagerly took up the volume to remind myself. Turned out, I hadn't forgotten what he had said about Hadrian because he said almost nothing. The essay—a good one—was about Yourcenar's life. Someone, even perhaps myself, must have noticed that at the time. And the essay is about Yourcenar's life because it was originally a review of a biography about Yourcenar that appeared in the New York Times, 17 October 1993. Canning decided to recycle the review about the life as an essay about the 22nd book which "Everybody Must Read". The essay is virtually the review, with only references to the reviewed biography deleted. Nothing untoward here, everything above-board and acknowledged. What's still puzzling is how or why Canning would include a review about the life instead of a recommendation of the book! (For those of you who have never owned the Canning or have failed to retain it, you can read the original review on the nytimes website.
This post originated out of some pique at Canning's editorial practice but I can move past that by asking if anyone knows anywhere where White did write about Yourcenar's Hadrian ?
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2 comments:
Kudos on the expert sleuthing, Tim! My memory of the Canning has faded, so I can't honestly claim to recall whether any of us remarked on that essay at the time, but you're quite right: It is peculiar to review the author, so to speak, rather than the work.
Then again, how often have music critics reviewed a program instead of the performance (or even worse, the performer(s)...
Cheers, Steve
Just saw this Tim, and I'm inquiring...
I read some of "...Hadrian" when we did the Canning. Copies were gone at the library but just obtained one today through ILL. I'll get in as much as I can.
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