Stet: An Editor's Life: Athill, Diana: 9780802138620: Amazon.com: Books
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Diana Athill
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Stet: An Editor's Life Paperback – March 12, 2002
by Diana Athill (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 118 ratings
Diana Athill's Stet is "a beautifully written, hardheaded, and generally insightful look back at the heyday of postwar London publishing by a woman who was at its center for nearly half a century" (The Washington Times). A founding editor of the prestigious publishing house Andre Deutsch, Ltd., Athill takes us on a guided tour through the corridors of literary London, offering a keenly observed, devilishly funny, and always compassionate portrait of the glories and pitfalls of making books. Stet is a must-read for the literarily curious, who will revel in Athill's portraits of such great literary figures as Jean Rhys, V. S. Naipaul, Norman Mailer, Philip Roth, Mordecai Richler, and others. Spiced with candid observations about the type of people who make brilliant writers and ingenious publishers (and the idiosyncrasies of both), Stet is an invaluable contribution to the literature of literature, and in the words of the Sunday Telegraph, "all would-be authors and editors should have a copy." "Wryly humorous ... notable for its extraordinary lucidity...." -- The New York Times Book Review "A beguiling tonic to book business sob stories... Stet can barely contain Athill's charm and great big heart." -- Newsday "In addition to telling a good story, Athill writes profoundly about how she is affected by the books she loves." -- The Boston Globe
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Product details
Publisher : Grove Press; First Paperback Edition (March 12, 2002)
Language : English
Paperback : 256 pages
4.4 out of 5 stars 118 ratings
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Diana Athill
Born in 1917 and educated at Oxford University, DIANA ATHILL has written several memoirs, including "Instead of a Letter," "After a Funeral," "Somewhere Towards the End," and the New York Times Notable Book "Stet," about her fifty-year career in publishing. She lives in London and was recently appointed an Officer of the British Empire.
4.4 out of 5 stars
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Lady Fancifull
5.0 out of 5 stars Journeys with literary lions, armed with a red penReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 11, 2012
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This was a surprisingly fascinating and enjoyable read. Surprising, because I wouldn't necessarily have thought 'I can't wait to find out about the world of publishing' Nevertheless, Athill illustrates my belief that it is possible to find anything in this world fascinating, providing one has the right teacher/companion to make the learner/listener/reader look at things in a different way. Passion, enthusiasm and the desire to share the enjoyment of whatever-it-is are profoundly catching.
Athill, I learn, was regarded as the best copy editor in London. Not surprising really, as she is a fine writer herself, and possessed of many skills beside her obvious intelligence, love of and engagement with fine writing and precise literary skills. She has opened my eyes to other skills an excellent editor might need - the ability to carefully steer through the minefield of the author's vulnerable ego, protective towards their work as the parent might be of a new-born baby. Empathy and diplomacy, and, something which did not strike me before, humility and a well-balanced ego, which does not get ruffled easily. A generosity of spirit to care about the writing itself, and a real love and belief in the importance of writing.
Her book is divided into two halves, firstly, her journey as a lowly paid editor and director of Andre Deutsch, from its post-war inception to its vanishing - this details much which is fascinating about the world of reading, of the way of the artist versus the way of the conglomerate, of the rise of books as mass marketed media celebrity commodities, and the mounting deluge of books good, bad and indifferent like so many varieties of same same breakfast cereals.
The second half examines in greater detail her relationship as an editor/publisher with several writers who were on Deutsch's list, V.S. Naipaul, Brian Moore, Jean Rhys, Molly Keane, Mordecai Richler and Alfred Chester.
I now want to read more of Athill's books!
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Rusty
3.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing peek behind the editing scenesReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2012
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This was a very good read and a valuable insight into the publishing trade, even if the world it looks back on has all but disappeared. Diana Athill is a lucid writer and you can tell she's the product of a bygone era; something about her style (her old-school grammar, for one) speaks of a time when English was much more prim and proper. It's the first of her books I've read and I'm tempted to come back for more.
I particularly enjoyed the memoir's second half, when Athill talks candidly about the authors she worked with over the years (Jean Rhys, V S Naipaul, etc). But I was hoping to hear more about John Updike, one of my favourite writers and a man that Athill edited on many occasions. She tells us he was an excellent craftsman whose books arrived "perfectly formed"... but beyond that, she's curiously silent. Surely he was more interesting to know than that? There's nothing else to tell, when you've got such good gossip on the rest of your clients? I found it slightly strange.
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Vicuña
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating insightReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2012
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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. It was a delight to read; amusing, candid and honest. I can only imagine that most authors would wish to have an editor as compassionate, intelligent, articulate and tactful as Ms Athill. I suspect her world of publishing is no more.
I did gain an insight into the publishing process and the respective roles of publishers and editors. This was interesting, but the real bonus was the detil about some authors. Their whims and fancies, their arrogance or otherwise. Ms Athill has a gift for writing in a way that makes her description of events seem like they took place yesterday. I've now bought two of her subsequent works and they are equally enjoyable. This book is a really lively read. Enjoy!
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Jean Fraser
4.0 out of 5 stars A promiscuous world dominated by irrational men.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2021
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It seems so long ago, that subservient female behaviour in businesses owned by men, yet Diana Athill's memoir is about people we have heard of and people who are still alive. Publishing in London in the second half of the twentieth century was at first an uphill struggle to escape the post war slump. Andre Deutsch Ltd camped in cheap lodgings where they sent out books from a table which was a board over the bath tub. They ended up as publishers to some of the best literature of the past decades. Athill's memoir is a thrilling account of people and books, lives and loves in London through the 60s to the nineties.
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Jo Brookes
4.0 out of 5 stars FascinatingReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2012
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I found this book really interesting. Diana Athill was an editor at Andre Deutsch and the book offers snap shots of various authors and of Ms Athill's life. She is a intelligent and witty writter and I really enjoyed this. I loved the view into publishing as it used to be. It reminded me of what we have lost with the decline of good editing and the rise of Tesco cheapie books and barely edited books / shelf published books / quickly produced ebooks. I also liked its robust style and occasionally trenchant views that don't sit so comfortably today
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