Anna Maria Ortese is an Italian writer well received in her homeland but hardly known in America. I discovered her by accident while browsing in a used book store in Venice (the one that's a district in Los Angeles). She practices a form of magical realism that is more subtle than the Latin Americans favor, and I found this makes her work a degree or two more haunting. In this collection of ten stories, all set in an enchanted urban reality, Ortese explores interior lives at moments of transformation, when her characters discover they lead blessed or cursed existences -- or both. She writes in a wonderfully moody, poetic prose and uses vivid descriptive passages to detail layers of emotion. Even in English translation, the language has a clear, crisp ring. Not all the stories are worth a second read, but those that are offer endless rounds of pleasure.

If you love to snuggle up with a wonderful cookbook to read, buy this one! I've had this book for at least 10 years and I still pull it off the shelf to look at the wonderful illustrations by Tasha Tudor and read the interesting anecdotes. The book is divided into chapters, each reflecting a holiday or cherished event -- from Easter to New Year's Open House to Picnic by the River -- and opens with a short story on the family traditions so associated. I like it most because it is both modern and quaint at the same time. As for the recipes, I must admit I haven't tried very many...

Rosalyn Foy gathers a wide array of resources concerning the life of Mary Butts and complies them in an exciting and enthusiastic manner. The wit and spirit that springs from her words holds the reader's attention--this isn't just one long boring informative essay! Foy also gives a very up close and personal view of Butts, as she reviews her childhood, influences, friends and collaborators, etc. 99% of the other material (encyclopedias, articles) out there will only give you an overview; you won't experience her life closehand the way you will with this book. It's a shame that this is the only book written on the passionate colorful Mary Butts, but thank god Foy had the vision and insight to create such a wonderful piece of work! If you're at all interested in Butts, I highly recommend buying this book.

Fascinating, but challenging novels by a quintessential Lost Generation writer and personality. Beautiful, cryptic language, tons of references, layers of meaning. I was hooked. Armed With Madness is particularly good. Check out her short stories as well.

Mary Butts died at 45, but left her mark on English women's fiction. This is not her best novel, but it's nevertheless charming. One must note that it has more in common with the novels of the romantic era than the modern historical novel, and furthermore, historical accuracy is not always high, even understanding it was researched and written in the 1920s-early 30s. Still, the work is rich in language and philosophic speculation. For those interested in an novel about Alexander from the earlier period, this is the one to read (along with Nikos Kazantzakis' young-reader's novel, ALEXANDER THE GREAT).

These novels represent a multitude of issues presented by the once lost British writer Mary Butts. The range of characters presented in this book display the emotional complexity of youth, in the time frame of humans and in the new modern world which Butts feels forced to address. Themes of mythology and legend are explored, as sexuality and societal roles of a dying upper middle-class are questioned. Powerful stories of energy, youth, expression, and decay in a strange modern world.

First, this is not as the book description says, "poetry, Russia, tr Lyn Hejinian & Elena Balashova". It is a novelization of Cleopatra's life, told partly from the point of view of letters from her ladies-in-waiting Charmian and Iras. Not nearly as good as Margaret George's Memoirs of Cleopatra, it is a very uneven book, focusing at length in often wordy prose on insignificant details and ignoring the major ones. Cleopatra's own story seems also to be told at a distance, so that one is always an observer, and never an experiencer of the times. Butts however has a few rare moments of inspiration though, as when she describes Cleoptra leaving Caesar's bedchamber and proudly walking past his Roman guards!