Hortense Calisher (1911–2009) was an American writer known for her elegant prose and insightful character studies, often drawn from personal experience.
Born in New York City to a middle-class Jewish family, she graduated from Barnard College (1932) and worked in social services before turning to fiction. Many of her short stories, published in The New Yorker, featured her alter ego, Hester Elkins, a Jewish child in New York. Notable collections include In the Absence of Angels (1951) and The Collected Stories of Hortense Calisher (1975,) earning her multiple O. Henry Awards for psychological depth and character-driven narratives.
Her fiction includes Tale for the Mirror (1962,) Extreme Magic (1964,) and Saratoga, Hot (1985.) Her first novel, False Entry (1961,) was followed by The New Yorkers (1969,) Queenie (1971,) On Keeping Women (1977,) and Mysteries of Motion (1983.) Age (1987) examines an elderly couple’s reflections, In the Palace of the Movie King (1993) follows a Russian director in exile, In the Slammer with Carol Smith (1997) explores homelessness and mental illness, and Sunday Jews (2003) delves into identity in a diverse family.
Her memoir, Tattoo for a Slave (2004,) recounts her family’s Southern roots. She served as president of PEN America and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Hortense Calisher
When anything gets freed, a zest goes round the world.
—Hortense Calisher
Topics: One liners
A happy childhood can’t be cured. Mine’ll hang around my neck like a rainbow, that’s all, instead of a noose.
—Hortense Calisher
Topics: Memory
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