Decca the letters of jessica mitford

The letters of jessica mitford jessica mitford, peter y. It chronicles her escape from family life and elopement with esmond romilly. The letters of jessica mitford is 2006 collection of letters by jessica mitford. And she charged a camera to her poor fathers account to. Decca, a collection of jessica mitfords letters that spans sixty years, is not only a portrait of an intrepid, humorous and affectionate woman, but a look at class and politics through the eyes of someone to whom good writing mattered and intimacy mattered even more. The book includes mitfords letters between 1924 leading up to her death in 1996. Actually, if youre familiar, the scope of the entire mitford family is remarkable. Jessica mitford, known as decca, eloped at 18 to the spanish civil war, moved to america where she joined the communist party and became a radical journalist for whom the term muckraking was invented. I had heard about the mitford family over the years, and when i was in college, i read deccas sister nancy mitfords novels the pursuit of love and love in a cold climate. Jessica mitford has been my heroine for twentyseven years, and i finished this book proud of my own good taste. Oct 17, 2006 jessica decca mitford was a bitchy, brilliant, fascinating, annoying, funny, sarcastic and altogether mysterious woman. A new book collects the letters of jessica mitford, the author of the american way of death, who left a life of privilege in britain and became a.

Jessica, who represented the far left, married her second cousin esmond romilly, killed in world war ii, and then american civil rights lawyer robert treuhaft, with whom she joined the american communist party and worked closely in the civil rights congress. Pillarbox red and wardrobeheavy, it is a volume to put the fear of. I just finished this most amazing and epic book titled decca. The enthralling letters by the most idiosyncratic, witty and irrepressible sisters of one of the most notorious families of the 20th century. Jessica decca mitford, whose letters will be published this month in a collection edited by peter sussman.

This book of her letters gives us a very tiny keyhole of insight into that enormous personality. Best known for her classic funeralindustry expose, the american way of death, jessica mitford 1917 1996 was fifth of the famous mitford sisters. Dec 03, 2006 peter y sussmans decca shows that jessica mitford was the red sheep of the family, like sister nancy a great wit and, luckily for us, a supreme writer of letters, says rachel cooke. Jessica mitford 19171996, known as decca, was one of the six daughters of lord and lady redesdale, a family so dysfunctional that if a mitford girl wanted to be a rebellious. Even without biographical backgroundavailable in innumerable memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies of the mitford sisters and their friendsdeccas earliest surviving letters convey the selfconfidence and freedom that come with a pedigree of privilege, as well as the bantering, chattering, brash playfulness, and the sometimes stinging. Over her 78 years, deccas letters are the most tangible tracks left of a remarkable life from her childhood as the daughter of a british peer lord redesdale to her scandalous elopement to the spanish civil war with her cousin esmond romilly, to her life in the united states, where she married a radical lawyer, robert. Her letters, edited by peter y sussman, give intimate insights into her extraordinary life and are read this week by rosamund pike and tom chadbon. Jessica lucy decca freemanmitford was an english author, one of the six aristocratic mitford sisters noted for their sharply conflicting politics. Jessica lucy mitford, always know to friends and family as decca or dec, was the penultimate child and fifth of the six daughters and one son all strikingly goodlooking and strongwilled born.

Nov 03, 2006 the earliest letters in decca are from the 1920s, and while they provide glimpses of her family, mitford s correspondence doesnt become intriguing until she settled in the united states. A biography was written about nancy mitford after she died in 1973, but the real drama came over a book about unity, published in 1976. Aug 25, 2016 also during the 1970s was the rise of the mitford industry, or mit ind as decca called it. Jessica, or decca, as she was called, was funny and sarcastic, and seems like she would have been fun to hang out with. The letters of jessica mitford is an intimidating sight. Jessica decca mitford wrote some very entertaining letters, but it seems strange to read only one half of any correspondence. The letters of jessica mitford, as well as mitfords twovolume autobiography, hons and rebels and a fine old conflict 1977, seem to. These letters are rarely less than amusing, colored by a salubrious scorn for the. Decca edited by peter y sussman books the guardian. The letters of jessica mitford 9780375410321 by jessica mitford and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Pillar box red and wardrobeheavy, it is a volume to put the fear of. The letters of jessica mitford, edited by journalist peter y. The letters of jessica mitford skip to sections navigation skip to content skip to footer.

Oct 17, 2006 decca, a collection of jessica mitfords letters that spans sixty years, is not only a portrait of an intrepid, humorous and affectionate woman, but a look at class and politics through the eyes of someone to whom good writing mattered and intimacy mattered even more. And yet by far the most interesting thing about decca, as in anything written by any one of the six mitford sisters, is her voice. The editor includes sufficient biographical information to put the letters in to context and does sometimes explain what was said in the letters which are responses. The letters of jessica mitford by jessica mitford goodreads. Dec 6, 2014 i just finished this most amazing and epic book titled decca. The letters of jessica mitford by mitford, jessica edited by. The letters of jessica mitford were dramatized for book of the week, bbc radio 4, five 15minute programmes broadcast in november 2006. A few words about unity that i didnt mention in the first post.

Both refused to testify in front of the house unamerican activities committee, but later r. Jessica decca mitford was a bitchy, brilliant, fascinating, annoying, funny, sarcastic and altogether mysterious woman. With the publication of hons and rebels, and then the american way of death in 1963, decca became an author with a capital a. The mitford sisters were extraordinary women, confidantes of everyone from hitler to jfk. Nov 17, 2006 a new book collects the letters of jessica mitford, the author of the american way of death, who left a life of privilege in britain and became a communist and civil rights activist in america. The letters of jessica mitford gives, as letters usually do, a much fuller picture of the writer than either of her own autobiographies, and i finished reading feeling even fonder and more.