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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Diana Athill has had a most interesting and varied life, and the title she has chosen for her autobiography is proofreaders' jargon for "Let it stand". In other words: no regrets. It's a fine title. As a grand old lady of British publishing, Athill can look back on 50 years of work with the great Andre Deutsch, and many close-working relationships with writers such as VS Naipaul, Jean Rhys and Brian Moore. One of the distinguishing features of Athill's book is its honesty, both with her colleagues and with herself. (She has already been scolded by another reviewer for revealing that she had an affair with Andre Deutsch, and once kissed one of her authors). Her portrait of Brian Moore is not always very flattering, and as for Naipaul, it is with a sigh of relief that she admits that they are no longer friends, and she is free to admire him simply as a writer, if not as a man. And there is a whole chapter devoted to a forgotten and tragic character called Alfred Chester, whom Athill edited for a while. He ended up in Israel living virtually as a hermit, until he died of heart failure brought on by drink and drugs. It was all "horribly sad". The final sense, however, is one of tremendous energy and enthusiasm for all things bookish, and one can relish the grand, throwaway manner. Of her early girlhood, she recalls simply, "Reading was what one did indoors, as riding was what one did out of doors".--Christopher Hart
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Product Description
For nearly 50 years, Diana Athill edited (and nursed and coerced and coaxed) some of the most celebrated writers in the English language. In a prose style of inimitable wit and rare candour, she recounts tales from a long life in publishing, including her reflections on editing writers such as V. S. Naipaul, Jean Rhys, Gitta Sereny and Brian Moore. She also provides an account of her own writing career, which includes the two critically acclaimed works, Instead of a Letter and After a Funeral.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book to learn more about writing and publishing and because I had also bought Diana Athill's "Towards the End" (not read it yet!)which was published recently and wanted to read her earlier work first.
I thought it would be rather dry and dull but I was totally wrong! It is a fascinating account of her many years with the publishing company Andre Deutsch; of personal stories of the writers that she met, many of whom needed nurturing in more ways than simply editing their work and many who became good friends. Miss Athill writes beautifully. Her prose is chatty and flows so well. This is a great read, brimming with nostalgia, humour and honesty. For more than 50 years, she enjoyed the accolade of being "one of the best editors in London": this little paper back shows why! "Stet" is a great title! Meaning "let it stand", I am sure that it will stand the test of time and remain enjoyed by many. I am now bursting to get on and read more of her work!
I thought it would be rather dry and dull but I was totally wrong! It is a fascinating account of her many years with the publishing company Andre Deutsch; of personal stories of the writers that she met, many of whom needed nurturing in more ways than simply editing their work and many who became good friends. Miss Athill writes beautifully. Her prose is chatty and flows so well. This is a great read, brimming with nostalgia, humour and honesty. For more than 50 years, she enjoyed the accolade of being "one of the best editors in London": this little paper back shows why! "Stet" is a great title! Meaning "let it stand", I am sure that it will stand the test of time and remain enjoyed by many. I am now bursting to get on and read more of her work!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Anyone who has not yet read Diana Athill's scaled-down take on living, loving and dying has a treat in store. This particular book is about her professional career -- one that she stumbled into, and, as often happens with good people, it worked brilliantly for her. You get a chance to follow her career and the publishing house (André Deutsch) she worked for as they begin and end. She is a master of the best kind of gossip: she spills secrets and can show dislike but always looks for redeeming features in the gossipees. The most celebrated part of this book is the chapter on VS Naipul. Worth the admission price alone. After reading this, you will have an even greater enjoyment waiting: the author's unsurpassed look at approaching death: Somewhere Near the End. Both are among the best books I have read. Diana Athill is a biographer of huge value for her honesty, insight and humility.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Stet reads like the conversation of a friend, and this shows Diana Athill's skill as a writer. Without quite realising it, I have ended up with a head full of vivid images from this book, even though it's a book about publishing - not my conception of the most vivid of industries. I wish the book was much longer, and I did find the structure a bit disjointed; otherwise I would have given it 5 stars. A real pleasure to read.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A lost age of amateur publishing
Since the other reviewers to date have concentrated on Athill's writing and on her portraits of some of the authors she worked with, I will say something about an aspect of the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by R. D. Freeman
Fascinating insight
This book was a really wonderful surprise. I bought it because it sounded as if it would give an inside view of the publishing world. It does that and so much more. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Bookie
Suffused with her enthusiasm for books and writers....
Diana Athill was a literary book editor for nearly fifty years. This is a career she seems to have fallen into rather than planned. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Wynne Kelly
An enjoyable and well-written memoir
There was recently a BBC TV documentary about Diana Athill presented by Alan Yentob which prompted me to take this book off my shelf where it had been sitting waiting to be read. Read more
Published 21 months ago by hiljean
Stet by Diana Athill
This is a fly on the wall view of the world of publishing. Diana Athill joined Andre Deutsch when he was setting up this now legendary firm just after the Second World War and she... Read more
Published on 13 July 2009 by Terrie Rintoul
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