Joan Didion read tonight at Central Park SummerStage from two books, chosen as bookends to her married life. Now I can't remember the title of the first one, written about arriving in New York City in the summer at age 20, but the second one, of course, was The Year of Magical Thinking (2005). The rhythm of her reading underscored the rhythm of her writing, emphasizing her careful consideration of the words she chooses.
The rain began to fall as she read the first excerpt, but stopped as she read the second, the wrenching account of her husband's death from a heart attack in 2003 as she prepared dinner.
As Philip Gourevitch began his interview following her reading, the sky opened up, sending everyone shrieking out onto 72nd Street.
No comments:
Post a Comment