Conversations with M. F. K. Fisher

by M.F.K. Fisher, David Lazar (Editor)

This collection of interviews captures the conversations of one of the most prominent prose writers in the Unites States. About her the Chicago Sun-Times says, “She is to literary prose what Sir Laurence Olivier is to acting or Willie Mays is to baseball.”

These interviews reveal her uncompromising and frequently contradictory attitudes toward the luxuries and necessities of gastronomy, the idea that sensual appreciation, in all aspects of life, is or should be necessary. In her conversations, M. F. K. Fisher often returns to the complexities of her life. Other recurring subjects in these interviews include the nature of aging, the differences between men and women, and her own relationship to her work, which she describes with precision and a selective memory.

These pieces give us a view of M. F. K. Fisher in motion―speaking and changing her mind at will, with fierce wit, unable to tolerate simplistic strategies of thinking and living.

209 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1992

About the author

Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher was a prolific and well-respected writer, writing more than 20 books during her lifetime and also publishing two volumes of journals and correspondence shortly before her death in 1992. Her first book, Serve it Forth, was published in 1937. Her books deal primarily with food, considering it from many aspects: preparation, natural history, culture, and philosophy. Fisher believed that eating well was just one of the "arts of life" and explored the art of living as a secondary theme in her writing. Her style and pacing are noted elements of her short stories and essays.

Reviews

[Estep · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't overlook this one, you get fabulous interviews and a unique document of the evolving media coverage of Fisher in the form of the blurbs and intros to these interviews and articles. The form of this book (collected interviews) is so simple you'd be forgiven for assuming it represents a whole category of literature, but frankly you'd be wrong, there are fewer of the books than you'd think. Then again, I'd love to be wrong on this count too.