Categories: BooksReviews

‘Publishing: A Writer’s Memoir’ By Gail Godwin Review: An Honest Account Of 45 Years As A Published Author

Gail Godwin, famed novelist and short story writer, reminisces her pre-published hunger for literary recognition in her memoir Publishing: A Writer’s Memoir, released mid-January.

Publishing: A Writer’s Memoir

Raised as a native of mountainous North Carolina, Godwin wasn’t exposed to the publishing world until she attended the University of Iowa and earned her PhD in English Literature, after finishing her M.A. from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. While attending the workshop, she studied as a pupil to prominent literary figures, such as Kurt Vonnegut and Robert Coover. She subsequently produced her first novel, The Perfectionists, which was published by Harper & Row, sparking her vibrant, 45-year career as a beloved author, as outlined in the memoir.

Since her first book, over the course of half of her lifetime, she has published two short story collections, two volumes of her journals, one non-fiction work and thirteen novels, five of which were New York Times Bestsellers.

Godwin’s literary confidence is scattered throughout the memoir. The pages are saturated with honest humility, quoting fellow admired writers and describing experiences that seem unexaggerated and wrought with truth – a style uncommon in most memoirs.

Godwin interweaves characters from her fiction into her own experiences, considering them a major part of her life. She reminisces on her relationships with teachers, editors and fellow colleagues in a memorable way, describing her experiences vividly. And, in addition to discussing literary and professional breakthrough and what it’s like to live in the public eye after being published, Godwin includes many heart-tugging remembrances of her warm relationship with her mother.

Publishing’s tone is one that every writer with a desire to be recognized can relate to, and is most evident in a moving sentence, in which Godwin quotes the Anglo Saxon poem “The Wanderer”:

“I was ‘she who is solitarily situated’ on my night walks, marking to the beat of a doomed language.”

Buy Publishing here:

ShannonCuthrell

Recent Posts

VIDEO: Hurricane Rafael Topples Stadium Floodlight Pylon Toppled in Cuba

https://youtu.be/0Ajjle4Kmq4 Dramatic footage shows winds from Hurricane Rafael toppling floodlights at a baseball stadium in…

25 mins ago

VIDEO: Road Worker Narrowly Dodges Truck On New York Highway

https://youtu.be/zv6oTyRE18w A road worker narrowly missed being hit by a truck in upstate New York…

1 hour ago

Brian Austin Green Tells Tori Spelling He ‘Doesn’t Recall’ First Time He Slept With Her

Spelling further recalled that the two then started kissing, and Green interrupted, “Wait, what? I…

2 hours ago

Influencer Matt Choi Banned From NYC Marathon For Having 2 Cameramen On E-Bikes Follow Him During Race Endangering Runners

While Choi’s behavior in the race was rightfully admonished, his honest apology serves as a…

3 hours ago

Elon Musk Says Jennifer Lopez Should Have Warned The Public About Ex Sean Combs

Combs and Lopez were romantically involved between 1999 and 2001.

4 hours ago

Tyler, The Creator Announces 2025 Concert Tour Dates – Setlist & Ticket Info

Born Tyler Gregory Okonma, the rapper, director, producer and designer is regarded as a pivotal…

19 hours ago