Journalism being in my mind (always), but particularly inspired verbosity coming from the WHCA dinner, I finally sat to write about a particular adoration of mine. Not journalism, but cerebral women writers.
I have four in mind in particular: Maureen Dowd (NYT), Lucy Kellaway (FT), Tina Fey (NBC? SNL?) and one of my particular heroines: Oriana Fallaci. My opinion of course, but their blunt, strong, style of writing is unrivaled by the men (only one I could think of whom would awaken such visceral liking is Harry Eyres Weekend FT column – the Slow Lane). … ah.. every time I read them, I think of Paul Simon’s lyrics in “I know what I know” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w3CBdLfGqw) :
She said there's something about you
That really reminds me of money
She is the kind of a girl
Who could say things that
Weren't that funny
I said what does that mean
I really remind you of money
She said who am I
To echo the lyrics, yes, these are the women that could “write” about things that were not "that funny", with the caustic/acerbic humour, and preternatural wit and yet remain relevant.
Maureen Dowd’s column on NYT, whether touching Washington related topics (this past week’s column on Obama was fantastic), religion (ditto for her column on John Paul’s beatification) or her book on (“Are Men Necessary?”), the variety of topics is just too wide to cover. However, I became smitten over her column in Latin (with assistance – nonetheless awesome!) on October ’08 in the Times, here it is:
Maureen Dowd
Maureen Dowd’s column on NYT, whether touching Washington related topics (this past week’s column on Obama was fantastic), religion (ditto for her column on John Paul’s beatification) or her book on (“Are Men Necessary?”), the variety of topics is just too wide to cover. However, I became smitten over her column in Latin (with assistance – nonetheless awesome!) on October ’08 in the Times, here it is:
Lucy Kellaway
Yet, Lucy Kellaway’s (daily – really!) column in the management section of the FT begs no second. Her pet peeve is management jargon. All incarnated in her character, Martin Lukes, whom also has a “column”, written in a sequence of emails in the FT, to his employees, wife and son. Here some of “his” work:
I am loath to compare, so will not. Tina Fey, comes with her own territory. While I am no great fan of “30 Rock” (the show, not the building), I came upon her during the last election, with her SNL spoof of none other than the Wasilla governator herself, Sarah Palin, which I am sure many of you have seen, but you can watch here again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdDqSvJ6aHc
Her follow-up piece on Vanity Fair, betrayed a beautiful intelligent woman whom almost did not believe her luck at what she had achieved – the sincerity was arresting. More recently, a piece in the New Yorker (a favourite journal of mine, YET, living here in SP I have found a brazilian rival that begs nothing from its NY cousin in journalistic quality and far superior presentation: Piaui: http://revistapiaui.estadao.com.br/edicao-55 [only in portugese - sorry]) after the release of her new book: Bossy Pants, here is the NYorker abstract:
To finalize, last but not least, there is Orianna Fallaci. I have written about her (or her book “Un Homme”) before: http://nomadvoice.blogspot.com/2010/05/un-homme-on-journalist-and-one-man.html. Yet, I must say that the words that captivated me, were in her autobiographical book during pregnancy: Letter to a a Child Never Born, a conversation between her and a child in her womb that was eventually aborted. Nonetheless, “Interviews with History”, was one of the most marking books, I quote it often. Her ability to extracts “gems” from Golda Meier, Henry Kissinger, Indira Ghandi or Billy Brandt is priceless.
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