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Catching Fire
This stunning novel of Murder, Ambition, Heroism and Romance in the glamorous New York theater world.
- GenresFiction
285 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
15 people want to read
About the author
Kay Nolte Smith
35 books15 followersKay Nolte Smith (July 4, 1932 – September 25, 1993) was an American writer. She was for a time friendly with the philosopher-novelist Ayn Rand, who was her leading literary and philosophical influence.
Smith was born in Eveleth, Minnesota and grew up in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Smith launched her literary career after her separation from the Ayn Rand circle. Her first novel was the mystery story The Watcher. Smith's Catching Fire is set in the world of the New York theater, with an anti-trade union political stance. Mindspell centres on the conflict between science versus religion, with Nolte Smith stating this fiction was written "to challenge strongly the belief in the occult".[4] Her novel Elegy for a Soprano is a roman a clef inspired by Rand, Nathaniel Branden, and the circle around them. Elegy for a Soprano also portrays the life of Jewish Holocaust survivors from Czechoslovakia and Norway. Two of her novels — Elegy for a Soprano and A Tale of the Wind — were nominated for Prometheus Awards in 1986 and 1992, respectively.
She published seven novels before her death from cancer at age 61.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Nol..., accessed May 25, 2012)
Smith was born in Eveleth, Minnesota and grew up in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Smith launched her literary career after her separation from the Ayn Rand circle. Her first novel was the mystery story The Watcher. Smith's Catching Fire is set in the world of the New York theater, with an anti-trade union political stance. Mindspell centres on the conflict between science versus religion, with Nolte Smith stating this fiction was written "to challenge strongly the belief in the occult".[4] Her novel Elegy for a Soprano is a roman a clef inspired by Rand, Nathaniel Branden, and the circle around them. Elegy for a Soprano also portrays the life of Jewish Holocaust survivors from Czechoslovakia and Norway. Two of her novels — Elegy for a Soprano and A Tale of the Wind — were nominated for Prometheus Awards in 1986 and 1992, respectively.
She published seven novels before her death from cancer at age 61.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Nol..., accessed May 25, 2012)
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 26, 2023
Kay Nolte Smith was one of the best United States writers I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I am now on a cycle of reading and/or re-reading her novels.
Having a bit of knowledge of her own background, I also have a bit of knowledge of the background of which she writes, even in this book about theater. Or, as some prefer, theatre.
Someone who obviously did not really read "Catching Fire," or did not pay attention while reading, said this: "Smith's Catching Fire is set in the world of the New York theater, with an anti-trade union political stance."
What author Smith and her protagonist were "anti" was not "trade union" but coercion, initiatory force -- as was explained a few times in the book!
"Catching Fire" is not a polemical treatise but a novel with strong roots in the real, and surreal, world of collectivist New York City, where -- anticipating today's environment -- group identity and demagoguery reign. And result often in violence.
Author Smith has a skill I admire and envy: She can create a setting, devise a plot, and imagine characters who are interesting and, often, about whom we will care.
I strongly recommend "Catching Fire," and every other book by her I have read so far.
If you have not yet read anything by her, well, this is a great way to start.
Having a bit of knowledge of her own background, I also have a bit of knowledge of the background of which she writes, even in this book about theater. Or, as some prefer, theatre.
Someone who obviously did not really read "Catching Fire," or did not pay attention while reading, said this: "Smith's Catching Fire is set in the world of the New York theater, with an anti-trade union political stance."
What author Smith and her protagonist were "anti" was not "trade union" but coercion, initiatory force -- as was explained a few times in the book!
"Catching Fire" is not a polemical treatise but a novel with strong roots in the real, and surreal, world of collectivist New York City, where -- anticipating today's environment -- group identity and demagoguery reign. And result often in violence.
Author Smith has a skill I admire and envy: She can create a setting, devise a plot, and imagine characters who are interesting and, often, about whom we will care.
I strongly recommend "Catching Fire," and every other book by her I have read so far.
If you have not yet read anything by her, well, this is a great way to start.
Displaying 1 of 1 review