|
Love and Other Infectious Diseases: a MemoirFor fifteen years, Molly Haskell and her husband, Andrew Sarris, both nationally known film critics, experienced the joys and vicissitudes of an intense two-career marriage-until Andrew was seized by a strange and terrifying illness. Facing the possibility of losing him, Molly was forced to look inward to confront the contradictions in what had seemed an ideal relationship. A remarkable cast of supporting (and occasionally nonsupporting) characters includes critics and Haskell's other writer colleagues; heroic and neglected hospital personnel; sadistic bureaucrats; and fellow patients and their spouses-all playing out variations of the marital duet in this medical grand opera, where death is the common enemy, but not the only one. Part horror movie, part screwball comedy, 'Love and Other Infectious Diseases' is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit. Phillip Lopate: "There are moments of such naked honesty as to make any lover of candor's jaw drop in astonishment and glee. Molly Haskell gives us the great adventure of illness, the drama of masculine-feminine, the comedy of nurturing and separation, in a voice full of intimacy and humor. I do not know which to applaud first, the considerable charm of the narrative voice or the unsparingly analytical rigor which underlies it. A book to delight romantics and skeptics alike!" |
Selected WorksNon-Fiction
"From Reverence to Rape: the Treatment of Women in the Movies"
Both historical survey and polemic, this book addresses the ways in which Hollywood, and cinema in general, has stereotyped women, but also points to the numerous examples of women subverting and challenging these stereotypes. "Love and Other Infectious Diseases: a
Memoir"
"A work of considerable depth and subtlety" (the New York Times) : In 1984 Haskell's husband, Andrew Sarris, came down with a mysterious and near-fatal illness. During his six-month hospitalization, she confronts not only the daily fear of his death but the realization of her own immense dependency. "Holding My Own in No Man's Land: Women and Men and Film and Feminists"
Essays and interviews, ranging from interviews with Hollywood legends such as Gloria Swanson and John Wayne, to celebrations of the comic verve of Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett, to ruminations on literary figures such as Truman Capote and his Holly Golightly and Jane Austen's Emma. Selected Articles
It Used to Be So Easy. I Remember When...
A piece about movie theatres and how they've changed through the years. A 'Law and Order' Addict Tells All
Molly's personal take on the hit tv show. "High-Wire Artist"
A book review of “Burt Lancaster: An American Life,” by Kate Buford. "Battle of the Sexes"
A unique view of the confrontations between men and women, the darker side of men, and how both sexes react to these differences. "He Drives Me Crazy"
Celebrated New York Times humor piece about Molly's husband's driving, men's driving in general, and the misconceptions about women drivers. |
