The Tender Hour of Twilight: Paris in the '50s, New York in the '60s: A Memoir of Publishing's Golden Age

I did not want this book to end; it is so beautifully written and filled with such important yet little-known information concerning our literary heritage. "The Tender Hour of Twilight" works on at least two levels. One is the extraordinary dimension of Richard Seaver's deeply empathic personal relationships: with his remarkable wife, colleagues, and the authors he befriended. The other is the story of the unique publishers and editors of this epoch, such as Rosset and Seaver in the States; John Calder and Marion Boyars in the UK; and, in France, Maurice Girodias and Jean-Paul Sartre, the latter who founded the influential journal, Les Temps modernes (with Simone de Beauvoir). Each exhibited the type of courage that rarely exists anymore in the world of publishing. And then, above all, there was the bold and innovative vision of the authors they promulgated and introduced: a special breed of artists whose work continues to send ripples throughout the literary world today. This was an extraordinary time to be alive and to fight for liberties that many today all too often take for granted. This is also a chronicle fashioned by two very special people. Seaver's wife, Jeannette, opens and closes the book with a pair of chapters that create a wonderful context for both the man and his adventures, and her skillful editing process inhabits every word throughout the text. I also want to thank the Seavers for including fascinating information about writers that we don't hear enough about, such as Hubert Selby Jr, author of "Last Exit to Brooklyn," and Alexander Trocchi, author of "Cain's Book." (When I interviewed Hubert Selby decades later, he was still talking about the importance of Grove Press.) Richard Seaver worked closely with Selby and Trocchi during his term as editor in chief at Grove, along with many other legendary authors. He was one of the first Anglophone critics to promote the work of Samuel Beckett; and, while living in Paris in the early Fifties, he published Beckett's work in the magazine Merlin. Seaver also served a similar role in helping to promote Jean Genet to the English-speaking world. The record of his friendships with each of these men forms an essential part of this memoir. I should add that, unlike the tone exhibited in many other literary memoirs, Seaver's narrative voice is never braggadocios or self-serving; if anything he is self-deprecating, almost to a fault. One senses this especially in the chapters dealing with his colleague at Grove, Barney Rosset, who was known to be a difficult man at times. Yet Seaver prefers to remain discreet rather than ego-driven when describing some of the more challenging moments he experienced while working there. All in all, a truly noteworthy book. And thank you, Jeannette Seaver, for honoring this remarkable man and sharing your love for him.

An interesting account of a period in Paris when I was there and knew most of thepeople he writes about. But familiar as I was, he did reveal a number of things Idid not know. I was a poor student/aspiring writer and he was already establishinghimself.

Generally I read literary fiction, yet Seavers memorable book is both literary in terms of superb writing as well as a fascinating account of Paris and Parisians post WWII and the literary stars of the era. The book also covers Nyc's literary scene in the sixties and details the riveting battle against censorship waged against Lady Chatterly's Lover, Henry Miller etc. in the process Seaver offers a portrait of the publishing industry both abroad and in the US. Readers who love literature, Paris, NYC publishing stories and a writing style that both compels and entrails, must read this book. History buffs interested in the fifties and sixties will also love this book. Seaver brings Beckett, Sartre, Genet and others to life in a way never done before. Seaver was not only a one of a kind editor and translator but a formidable writer himself. This is noyT a book quickly forgotten. Don't let the size of the book deter you...the pages fly. Rarely have I read a work of non-fiction with such narrative drive. Can't say enough good things about this book. Savor it!

Considering the ha ha factor of his satirical letter to Coke about their trademark concerns, I was surprised by how dull this book was. And I love memoir. I mean, crazy love it. I didn't love this. In fact, if you look up, you will see that I hated it.

Not only is the book a stellar one for its subject, but Richard Seaver's voice made me want to read everything he has ever written or contributed to!

This is mandatory reading for anyone who wants to understand how writers and editors work together to create and publish work that's trying to do something original. Richard Seaver, in a memoir edited after his death by Jeannette Medina Seaver, his wife of 55 years (and so often his working partner), tells the story of Paris in the 1950s (Beckett, Ionesco, Genet) and New York in the 1960s (Burroughs, Henry Miller, the censorship battles). His voice pulls you in to an intimate view of how people who are passionate about writing--and who think and live through writing--work together to advance the cause of great new and emerging work--and, as their portfolio builds, to have the great joy of advancing the work of writers they've worked with over the years. Seaver was brilliant, classy, gutsy, tremendously hard-working, and had extraordinary taste and insight and the determination to not only believe in the work he responded to, but to fight for its publication. (He was also himself a writer who never lost his sense of humor, not for a single page, which makes this a really fun ride.) This is also a book about relationships--friendships, the relationships among writers and editors, and the love story between Dick and Jeannette. If you are interested in this period of literature, read it. If you are interested in knowing how that under-financed thing called literary publishing really works, read it. If you want a wonderful read, this is for you.

excellent writing and insightful to a major period of writing ... thoroughly enjoyed the book

Just tried to review but told the system was down...so before I type a long review only to be denied access again...This book is amazing. An access into a fascinating world and time. I loved it.