Poet of the Appetites: The Lives and Loves of M.F.K. Fisher

by Joan Reardon

In more than thirty books, M.F.K. Fisher forever changed the way Americans understood not only the art of eating but the art of living. Whether considering the oyster or describing how to cook a wolf, she addressed the universal needs "for food and security and love." Readers were instantly drawn into her circle of husbands and lovers, artists and artisans; they felt they knew Fisher herself, whether they encountered her as a child with a fried-egg sandwich in her pocket, a young bride awakening to the glories of French food, or a seductress proffering the first peas of the season.

Oldest child, wife, mother, mistress, self-made career woman, trailblazing writer-Fisher served up each role with panache. But like many other master stylists, she was also a master mythologizer. To retell her story as it really happened, Joan Reardon has made the most of her access to Fisher, her family and friends, and her private papers. This multifaceted portrayal of the woman John Updike christened our "poet of the appetites" is no less memorable than the personae Fisher crafted for herself.

Genres: Biography, Food, Travel, Cooking, Food Writing, Nonfiction

528 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2004

About the author

Joan Reardon is the author of four previous books, including M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, and Alice Waters, which was nominated for a Julia Child Award. She lives in Lake Forest, Illinois.

(from http://us.macmillan.com/author/joanre...)

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

You would think that reading about the life of a self-absorbed food essayist who spends her time planning summer visits to France and complaining about her magazine assignments would get boring. But I couldn't put it down. MFK Fisher's writing is absorbing (in my opinion) because she makes it so personal; and with this biography, we get even more personal, because the author includes lots and lots of excerpts from her letters -- and she was a big time letter writer.

The only drawback is, after reading the biography, I feel less compelled to read her actual work. First, because the biography shows that she fabricates a lot of stuff, which takes part of the fun out of reading someone's food memoir. And second, because part of the joy in reading her (for me) was trying to piece together her life story from her writings. And now I know her life story, so...But I'm sure I'll still want to explore her writing after a short break.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already have an obsessive reverence for MFK Fisher's persona as a writer of gastronomy, that irresistible and savory blend of erudite reference, bon mots, opinionated quips, emotion, breezy conversational prose. All the lives and all the loves of the woman behind the voice are likewise intense and stubborn and fascinating. But MFK is a bit of a pinned butterfly here. I would recommend reading The Art of Eating by MFK Fisher herself first.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can there be a more boring book about a more interesting person?

[Carol Ann]

This biography covers the relationships of husbands, children, and friends of MFK Fisher in depth with articulate anecdotal histories. MFK was a woman ahead of her time in the writing of food related articles. Her love of tasty, healthy, and seasonal foods propels her through an avant-garde career. MFK Fisher's pursuits in raising the world's consciousness as to the quality of the cuisine they consumed was equaled only by James Beard and julia Child. She wrote the quintessential English interpretation of Brillat Savarin's -The Physiology of Taste and twenty-seven books of her own. W. H. Auden once remarked, "I do not know of anyone in the United States who writes better prose."

[Connie Kronlokken]

This is a wonderful book, full of information gleaned from letters and people who knew MFK Fisher, put together with clarity and discernment. I tell Fisher's story here:

http://womenandmountains.blogspot.com/

[Leigh Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not nearly as evocative as MFK’s own work, this clear biography of a fascinating woman flows nicely. It lays out a well-balanced density of experiences and characters that somehow manages not to become confusing. I now also have a list of books to read, tastes to try, and places to visit…

[Ciahnan Darrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched, insightful, eloquently put, and a great deal of fun.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because my book group was reading Gastronomical Me which is an fascinating memoir about food and life by M. F. K. Fisher. I had read Gastronomical Me many years ago and at the time enjoyed the book, but didn't think much about Fisher's real life. I was probably naive and thought Fisher was telling the whole story in her books. That rarely happens and so I wanted to know some concrete information about Fisher's whole life.

Reardon does a good job with a complicated subject. Fisher seems to have played fast and loose with her life and those around her. She believed in a good story, first and didn't always consider facts when she had a good idea for a tale. Fisher also lived an unconventional life, wanting travel and good food over stability and conformity.

I am glad to have made the acquaintance of the real Fisher and her family. I think I still like the woman who wrote How to Cook a Wolf and Consider the Oyster better. She does tell a good story.

I recommend this book to anyone who has read some of Fisher's books, to those who enjoy a well researched and written biography and to readers who like to encounter strong, unordox women. Fisher would be a good person to meet for any of those readers.

[Nancy Daley · Rating 3 out of 5]

M.F.K. Fisher is a sentimental favorite of mine. This biography has given me a window into her life, which is the kind of thing I always like, as I am very nosey. Courageous, groundbreaking, and a complete snob - the kind of woman I can appreciate. Fisher was inarguable at the forefront of the American foodie movement, and often her prose is breathtaking. Often heartbreaking.

There were some pieces missing in the bio, though, especially re: Fisher's sad relationships with her daughters. Perhaps they did not participate fully in the writing.
Fisher was notoriously circumspect (not to say prevaricating) about her life and her motives, so I can empathize with the author's struggles. Tant pis, I suppose MFK would say.

The story of an American woman who lived her own life by her own rules before we were supposed to do such things. And who could write like no one else, before or since.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up MFK Fisher was fairly well pampered and she had some extravagant moments out there in Hollywood and Paris. But later she made a habit of putting herself in these tiny, difficult kitchens and living a frugal, isolated, almost monastic existence. She may have been intimidating and difficult as a person, but she had an extreme work ethic and integrity. And she had her share of tragedies to deal with. Always, no matter where she was or how meager her resources, she never sacrificed her sense of taste. I wonder if she would disapprove of my sad capitulations at the snack machine?

[Jenaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather exhaustive, yet ultimately unfulfilling look at the life of Mary Frances. Reardon enjoys incredible access to her correspondance and assorted papers, but one comes away from this rather weighty tome feeling frustrated by a lack of analysis of the very complex, controversial life of its subject.

[Pam]

A really comprehensive and balanced book about a complex, often difficult subject. M.F.K. Fisher was a woman torn between her art and her passions and her indomitable, strong will. I really enjoyed being able to look in on her creative process. The problems she encountered/created with all those close to her were instructive. Great object lessons in this piece.

[jimstoic]

I picked this up in a bookstore in Vancouver that specializes in cookbooks and books about food. I'd just finished reading the book about Julia Child, "My Life in France," and I wanted something in a similar vein. Now, two years later, I've started reading it.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable autobiography -- well written, informative and fascinating. I read a lot of biographies and am always pleased to come across one where I wasn't aware of the person it is about - and this was the case. A really good read.

[Susan Bybee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meticulous biography. M.F.K. Fisher was a vibrant, interesting person who lived a full life. Biographer Reardon keeps up with MFKF, but keeps her prose neat and precise and doesn't add an extra layer to the activity and clangor of her subject's life.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helps explain so many of the elipses in her books - and also makes it clear that she must have been a wonderful person to know...as long as you weren't related to her.

[anita Lauricella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a really fascinating biography about an amazing, creative and independent woman.

[Chiuho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like the way M.F.K Fisher writes- sentimental, personal. This book opens a window to get to know her more. It was nice.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent book about fisher. her writing about food, her affairs, etc.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

read for bookclub. took me forever! I think my mom and mother-in-law (the first gourmet, I met) read a lot of MFK Fisher. I will have to now read her writings.