"This strange, old world" and other book reviews

Abstract

Between 1920 and 1958 Katherine Anne Porter published more than 65 book reviews, many of which are now largely inaccessible. Although several such pieces have appeared in earlier collections of Porter's nonfiction writings, never have so many of Porter's reviews - nearly 50 - been made available in a single volume. Collectively reviews reveal Porter's opinions on topics ranging from nature of art and place of artist in politics and society to feminism and role of female artists. Particularly evident in reviews are critical principles that guided her own work as well as her judgements of works of other writers. In her introductory essay Darlene Harbour Unrue provides biographical information on Porter, traces her career as a reviewer, and links critical assumptions in reviews to themes and techniques of Porter's fiction. Other scholars as well have regarded Porter's critical reviews as valuable tools both for analyzing fiction and for constructing a portrait of Porter artist, primarily because Porter produced so little fiction (three collections of short stories and novellas, Flowering Judas, The Leaning Tower, and Horse, Pale Rider, and a novel, Ship of Fools). In preface to first collection of her nonfiction writings, The Days Before, Porter herself urged readers to look closely at her nonfiction, for there they would discover the shape, direction and connective tissue of a continuous, central interest and preoccupation of a lifetime. Porter's scope as a reviewer was broad. Because she had lived in Mexico City during revolution, had known Diego Rivera, and had studied primitive Mexican art, she was often called on to review books on Mexican art and on revolution. Porter also reviewed many books by or about women. Her reviews of Short Novels of Colette and Katherine Anthony's translation of Catherine Great's memoirs are particularly noteworthy for her comments about women artists and her expression of admiration for women who flout traditional roles.