The uncollected essays of Elizabeth Hardwick

The clever observations of critic and novelist Elizabeth Hardwick (1916--2007) shine in this sharp collection. The essays range from lyrical musings on places Hardwick lived--Kentucky, Maine, and New York--to insights on literature and thoughts on celebrities. In "Piety and Politics," she writes of the Carter family, who "astonish by their sunny intrepidity," and reflects on the time when Jimmy Carter's evangelism seemed to inspire hope--he was a "mysterious figure, charismatic in his ascent rather than in his person," she writes. "Faye Dunaway: The Face in the Dark" sees Hardwick consider the power of film stars and the "electricity" of Dunaway's charm, while in "Women Re Women" she posits that "what seems to be ahead is that the women will have the new problems created by the new problems men have." Hardwick's takes are reliably witty, and her prose is always a pleasure: in "New York City: Crash Course," she describes Manhattan on a "gray Sunday afternoon, smoky light, and a sanctified drowsing... quiet except for the sacrificial athleticism of the joggers... preparing to run in the park, as a rabbit out of its hutch will surely hop off." This is a rousing testament to Hardwick's enduring vision. (May)

More essays from a master of the form. Hardwick's essays have been getting a new look thanks to Cathy Curtis' recent bio, A Splendid Intelligence, so editor Andriesse's collection of 35 previously uncollected essays--published in Vogue, Vanity Fair, the New York Review of Books, and other publications--is well timed. In the first piece, Hardwick writes that a "collection of essays is a collection of variations," and these pieces showcase her own range of interests and what Andriesse calls "the poise of her prose." In the first section, "Places, People, Things," Hardwick begins with personal reminiscences, writing about her beloved, "graceful" hometown, Lexington, Kentucky, and Maine, one of her favorite summer spots, which always "takes me by surprise." Then there are profiles, of Balanchine, friends Susan Sontag ("all ideas") and the "greatly gifted" Katherine Anne Porter, and Faye Dunaway. The section titled "Piety and Politics" shows Hardwick taking on current affairs, including incisive discussions of elections, scandals, the O.J. Simpson trial, the Kennedys, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton ("shallow, reckless"). Particularly scathing is "On Behalf of the Unborn: A Celibacy Amendment," a brief 1996 essay on Republican politics and abortion. As Andriesse writes, the writing in the section "Feminine Principle" shows that for Hardwick, "if liberation was a sign of social progress, it was also, frequently, a source of personal pain." In 1971, she looked "at little girls with wonder and with anxiety. I do not know whether they will be free--the only certainty is that many will be adrift." In "On Reading the Writings of Women," Hardwick confesses to a "nearly unaccountable attraction and hostility to the work of other women writers," and she goes on to berate and praise a few. An essay on Southern literature is a tour de force of breadth, economy, and insight. In the miscellaneous "Musings" section, the author's examination of Leonardo da Vinci thoroughly captivates, while "Grits Soufflé" enchants. This judicious gathering is a fine place to sample Hardwick's work. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.