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Stet
Stet: A Memoir | Diana Athill
5 posts | 9 read | 9 to read
Diana Athill's Stet is "a beautifully written, hardheaded, and generally insightful look back at the heyday of postwar London publishing by a woman who was at its center for nearly half a century" (The Washington Times). A founding editor of the prestigious publishing house Andre Deutsch, Ltd., Athill takes us on a guided tour through the corridors of literary London, offering a keenly observed, devilishly funny, and always compassionate portrait of the glories and pitfalls of making books. Stet is a must-read for the literarily curious, who will revel in Athill's portraits of such great literary figures as Jean Rhys, V. S. Naipaul, Norman Mailer, Philip Roth, Mordecai Richler, and others. Spiced with candid observations about the type of people who make brilliant writers and ingenious publishers (and the idiosyncrasies of both), Stet is an invaluable contribution to the literature of literature, and in the words of the Sunday Telegraph, "all would-be authors and editors should have a copy." "Wryly humorous ... notable for its extraordinary lucidity...." -- The New York Times Book Review "A beguiling tonic to book business sob stories... Stet can barely contain Athill's charm and great big heart." -- Newsday "In addition to telling a good story, Athill writes profoundly about how she is affected by the books she loves." -- The Boston Globe
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andrew61
Stet: A Memoir | Diana Athill
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As editor for some amazing writers the authors writing is impeccable and i love the very structure of her sentences. Jean Rhys is similarly a wonderful author and this chapter tells the sad story of her last years when Diana athill helps bring her work including Wide Sargasso sea to the public. This is a sad extract and i imagine jean rhys in her bungalow writing with neighbours who thought her a witch.

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HotCocoaReads
Stet: A Memoir | Diana Athill
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Mehso-so

This is the memoir of Diana Athill who worked in publishing in London her whole life. She tells how she got into the publishing house, what things she had to do and how she was paid. The second half of the book was about her dealings with several big-name authors. It was interesting, but I didn‘t love it. I never felt completely absorbed in the book.

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merelybookish
Stet: A Memoir | Diana Athill
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Friday night bath and I needed something easy. I bought this memoir by editor Diana Athill a while ago in a Kindle sale. She died last week at 101, so I decided to finally read it!

BkClubCare She‘s terrific 5y
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LeslieO
Stet: A Memoir | Diana Athill
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Planning some nonfiction reads and I came across this one. #onewordtitle #riotgrams #nonfictionchallenge2017

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Eroviana
Stet: A Memoir | Diana Athill
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Mehso-so

A must-read for every aspiring publishing professional/editor. I expected more from this but I blame the hype not the book for that. Well written and eloquent.