Earlier this month, I shared a post on Joan Didion’s essays titled “One runs away to find oneself, and finds no one at home.” One of my new blogger friends, Lori @ Donna & Diablo, mentioned in her response to my post that she planned to see Didion and was more excited about meeting her after reading the excerpts. I asked Lori if she wouldn’t mind sharing her thoughts about the meeting in a Guest Post. (I had never met a writer/author so I was looking to live the meeting-the-famous-author-moment vicariously through Lori’s post.) She graciously agreed. Lori also also mentioned that she didn’t know if it was good enough to post. I’ll let you make up your own minds. (Note to Me: If I could BANG LIKE on my own blog and keep BANG, BANG, BANGING LIKE, I would do so now…). Here’s Lori from Donna & Diablo on her meeting with Joan Didion…ENJOY!
One runs away to find oneself, and finds no one at home…
Back in 2005, I read Joan Didion’s book “The Year of Magical Thinking” after hearing much acclaim for the author and the book. I was underwhelmed and said so in my Amazon Review at the time. Yet, it rankled me that so many others were on the other side. (Why? Perhaps, I just missed what was readily understood by the intellectuals. Maybe you just didn’t get it Pal.)
So, more than 7 years later – I trip across a post at Brainpickings.org on Joan Didion’s 1968 collection of essays in Slouching Towards Bethlehem. My head immediately snaps to attention.
Oh what delicious irony…the excerpts are “On Self-Respect.” (Excerpts on ‘On Self-Respect.’ Deepak Sharma would say ‘Nothing is a Coincidence.’)
The post left me shaking my head. (Sweet Jesus. I did miss something. Apparently I missed everything.)
On to the excerpts…
Live & Learn 