Addendum to Part 1: Contemporary Authors
The author of short stories, novels, and nonfiction, Richard Ford is probably best known for his four novels featuring Frank Bascombe. Bascombe first appears in The Sportswriter (1986) and next in Ford’s Pulitzer Prize winning book, Independence Day, published in 1995, then in two later novels. I read and very much enjoyed Independence Day. Richard Ford lives in Boothbay; fellow Mainer Richard Russo lives in Portland. In my last post, I erred on Russo’s residence, and it was Ford who was recommended for inclusion in my blog by my friend.
When browsing in Print, a Portland bookstore I like, I discovered that another favorite author, Lily King, lives in Maine. In Portland, in fact. Her earlier award-winning novel, Euphoria, loosely based on Margaret Mead and some of her colleagues, was named one of the 10 Best Books of 2014 by the New York Times. I loved that novel of relationships and more recently, enjoyed Writers & Lovers, a coming into age and love story set in the familiar, to me, Cambridge environs. King’s first book of short stories, Five Tuesdays in Winter, comes out this fall.
MAINE AUTHORS Part 2: Writers of Long Ago
William Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
There was a time when every 7th or 8th grade English class read Evangeline, one of Longfellow’s long poems. And many school children also read or heard Paul Revere’s Ride as part of learning about the Revolutionary War. Longfellow also wrote the epic poem, The Song of Hiawatha (1855), about a Native American chief. A writer, traveler, and linguist, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an important figure in 19th century America. Born in Portland, he grew up and lived for thirty years in a house that today is a museum. The Chief Penguin and I toured the house several years ago and enjoyed learning more about his life and his family.
Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909)
Sarah Orne Jewett was a novelist and short story writer known for literary regionalism. She put more stock in descriptions of country life than in plot. Her best-known work is probably the novella, The Country of the Pointed Firs, published in 1896. I read this book years ago with the library book group at Penn. Other noted works are A Country Doctor and A White Heron. She was born and died in South Berwick near the Maine coast and was the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate from Bowdoin College in 1901.
Rachel Carson (1907-1964)
A marine biologist, writer, and later conservationist, Rachel Carson’s most popular work is Silent Spring (1962) about the harmful effects of insecticide spraying. An earlier work, The Sea Around Us (1951), won a National Book Award. Carson was born in Pennsylvania and lived in Maryland for some years, but she summered for 12 years on Southport Island. We have gone to Southport every year for the past 30 years. I always pause to read the plaque to Carson at the Newagen Seaside Inn where she was a frequent guest. After her death, her ashes were scattered into the sea from here.
E. B. White (1899-1985)
E. B. White, a noted author of essays and children’s books, also wrote poems and brief sketches. He was a reporter and freelance writer before joining the staff of the New Yorker in 1927. Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., he lived and worked in North Brooklin, Maine, sending in his regular columns and pieces from there. I have fond recollections of my father first reading Stuart Little to me. Our third-grade teacher read Charlotte’s Web to us, and I read it again later for myself. It’s my favorite of his children’s works. White also revised Strunk’s The Elements of Style which became a bible for aspiring writers. White was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom and also a special Pulitzer Prize citation.
May Sarton (1912-1995)
Belgian-American by birth, May Sarton was a poet, novelist, and memoirist. When a child, she and her parents moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. She lived there and in New Hampshire before spending the last five years of her life in York, Maine. Sarton was a prolific writer and considered by some, Carolyn Heilbrun for one, to be a pioneer in the field of women’s autobiography. Heilbrun cited the publication of Journal of a Solitude in 1973. Some years ago, I binge read quite a few of her novels and memoirs. Ones that stand out are Shadow of a Man, The Magnificent Spinster, and Endgame: A Journal of the Seventy-ninth Year. Sarton brought a laser focus and a very personal perspective to issues of friendship and love and the vagaries of aging.
A NOTE ON PORTLAND BOOKSTORES
Portland, Maine supports three notable independent bookstores, each of which is worth a visit. Probably the best known is Sherman’s on Exchange Street which is just one of about five stores in this group. Sherman’s began in Bangor and has a big presence in Boothbay Harbor, with other stores in Camden, Damariscotta, and Freeport. They sell lots of new books, but its larger stores are also a source for children’s toys and games, some housewares, along with stationery and other paper goods.
Longfellow Books, centrally located in Monument Square, has been around for about 20 years and is spacious and inviting with attractive storefront windows. During the pandemic, they were closed except for curbside pick-up, but in recent months have more fully opened. These folks are passionate about books and stock new titles plus used ones and have an especially colorful children’s corner. When browsing, I always find a title here that I’ve not seen elsewhere. Magazines and a good selection of note cards round out their offerings.
Print, located on Congress Street in the East End, is the newest sibling in the neighborhood, having opened in 2016. Its co-owners bring a wealth of bookselling experience and are also the offspring of writer parents. One, Emily Russo, is the daughter of Richard Russo. Print is cozy and welcoming (I was greeted as soon as I stepped through the door) with a well-chosen selection of current fiction and nonfiction, sections on Maine writers, and a slew of cooking and baking books, especially about pies. For its size, they have an impressive section of middle reader books. My 9-year-old granddaughter is a voracious reader, so I’m always on the lookout for books for her.
Attracting readers and providing great customer service are hallmarks of what keeps a bookstore in business. To some extent, each of these stores has book signings and author talks and will order books not in stock upon request. Some also publish free e-mail newsletters. There is no requirement to live nearby to receive their e-mails. I receive Longfellow Books’ weekly update on recommended new titles out in hardback and paper and also a quarterly e-mail from Three Lives & Company in New York. These newsletters are a fun and easy way to learn about what’s new and get the opinions of various bookstore staff.
Note: Header photo of Maine’s waters ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).
