Frederick Manfred: A Daughter Remembers

by Freya Manfred

In this poignant memoir, poet-novelist Freya Manfred recounts the artistic life and death of her father, the prolific and highly regarded author Frederick Manfred. Using family letters and passages from her father's novels as well as her own memoirs, she explores their powerful personal and literary relationship, which spanned nearly five decades. Freya manfred described what it meant to be the daughter of a strong-willed man who was dedicated, sometimes at great cost, to a creative life. Her story starts with the tender power and beauty of his funeral in 1994, then moves back to a clear-eyed and often humorous depiction of their home life, which was shaped by her father's insistence on the quiet and solitude necessary for his writing. She remembers the shift in their relationship as her literary career blossomed and he added the roles of mentor and friend. Finally, she shares frank and loving detail of her family's struggle to help her father die well.

211 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1999

Reviews

[George Polley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem of a memoir about novelist Frederick Manfred

Freya Manfred's memoir of her father, novelist Frederick Manfred, is a gem of a book, one that novelist Philip Roth a "classic". As a writer friend in Seattle said to me, it is unlike any memoir of a writer that he has read. I have to agree with him

Reading the book brought back all the fond memories I have about the man, his novels and the area he lived in and wrote about. If you're a writer or an aspiring writer, buy this book and mine it. I knew Frederick Manfred as a mentor during the few years that I knew him. A giant who stood six feet nine inches tall, he intimidated some people. But to me, an aspiring writer at the time, he was the kindest and most constructive of mentors to whom I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude. It was Fred who introduced me to John Milton, the editor of The South Dakota Review at the time, and encouraged me to send a short story to him. John published it and two of my articles over the next few years.

If you've not read any of Frederick Manfred's novels, look them up on Amazon, find one that looks interesting, and buy it. And, by all means, be sure to add Freya Manfred's fine book to your reading library.

Freya Manfred is a poet, and author of six poetry books. Her work has appeared in over 100 reviews and magazines and over 30 anthologies.

"Frederick Manfred: A Daughter Remembers, was nominated for a Minnesota Book Award and an Iowa Historical Society Benjamin F. Shambaugh Award.