Author: Debra
undersung: penelope fitzgerald
the undersungShe started publishing novels at age 60. For that alone, you’d have to love her. But even better, the books are brilliant, thought-provoking, witty, and refreshingly, wonderfully brief.
Read The Blue Flower first (yes, it’s about an 18th-century German poet, but get past that — it’s funny, romantic, and beautiful), then work your way slowly through the rest of her nine slender novels.
The note above was written in response to a letter sent by a bookseller, offering old books on Cairo.
I just ordered a used copy of her collected letters. I’ll let you know what I think.
images: The Guardian, Charles Lambert, litro, book depository
undersung: agnes martin
the undersung1963
1997
She was a genius of introspection, subtlety, and modesty — three qualities that seem to be in short supply right now in the human race.
In 1976, she spoke about her work in a lecture titled, “We Are in the Midst of Reality, Responding With Joy.” You go, Agnes!
The Museum of Modern Art has an excellent small collection of her work — sadly, not enough of it is on display.
I saw her once in a restaurant in Taos, New Mexico, a year or so before she died in 2004 at age 92. White pixie haircut and an incredible aura. If you are interested in creating things, this interview is really worth your time.