MFK Fisher

She has been called "the woman who legitimated the art of eating in America."

Also said about her...

"I do not know of any one in the United States who writes better prose."--W.H. Auden

"Poet of the appetites."--John Updike
(This quote was later used by Joan Reardon for her recent biography of Fisher Poet of the Appetites : The Lives and Loves of M.F.K. Fisher.

"She writes about fleeting tastes and feasts vividly, excitingly, sensuously, exquisitely. There is almost a wicked thrill in following her uninhibited track through the glories of the good life."--James Beard

"She writes about food as others do about love, but rather better."--Clifton Fadiman

"M.F.K. Fisher ... brings onstage a peach or a brace of quail and shows us history, cities, fantasies, memories, emotions."--Patricia Storace, The New York Review of Books

"M.F.K. Fisher is our greatest food writer because she puts food in the mount, the mind and the imagination all at the same time. Beyond the gastronomical bravura, she is a passionate woman; food is her metaphor."--Shana Alexander

Her prose is indeed beautiful and her stories are rife with romantic images of Europe and fine meals, romance and sorrow. She has a keen eye for observation and a way of bring you to the place she writes about.

A Few Links to Biographical Information

The Important Thing is to Read Her Work

The writing about Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher is much less interesting than the writing she did. Spend your time with one of her books rather than endless links that all give the same biographical information.

All Things MFK: This site has boook, a bio, recollections, etc.
A Short Biography: A nice concise bio with a photo of the house where she was born and the house she lived in when she died.
5 Fisher Quotes: 5 Quotes by MFK Fisher, pithy without being too Dorothy Parker.

Some News Tidbits on Food

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Some of my MFK memories

I was working in a bookstore when I commenced my love affair with MFK Fisher. One of the pesky Assistant Managers decided that MFK Fisher, and all who adored her, but mostly me and my best friend Kathy, were man-haters. We assured him that our contempt did not extend to ALL men.

He began altering the covers of MFK Fisher books on the shelf with little pictures drawn on post-it notes. "How to Cook a Wolf" became "How to Cook a Man". And "Consider the Oyster" became "Consider Blowing His Head Off", complete with a miniature handbag concealing a gun.

Tre amuse, non?

Some of M.F.K. Fisher's books

A Stew or a Story: An Assortment of Short Works

by M. F. K. Fisher

I haven't read this one yet, it's new. I expect to receive it for Christmas.

Amazon Price: $21.84 (as of 07/25/2008)

The Gastronomical Me

by M. F. K. Fisher

This is one of the first one I read, and it remains one of my favorites. The prose is beautiful, the stories are touching.

The gorgeous cover photos for the North Point Press re-issue series were taken by Man Ray.

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 07/25/2008)

How to Cook a Wolf

by M. F. K. Fisher

How to cope with derivation and rationing during the war. It serves to remind us how good we have it.

Amazon Price: $11.20 (as of 07/25/2008)

An Alphabet for Gourmets

by M. F. K. Fisher

Another fave. Each letter of the alphabet has a word and a story to go along with it.

Amazon Price: $10.40 (as of 07/25/2008)

Consider the Oyster

by M. F. K. Fisher

Written for Dillwyn
"Since Lewis Carroll no one had written charmingly about that indecisively sexed bivalve until Mrs. Fisher came along with her Consider the Oyster. Surely this will stand for some time as the most judicious treatment in English."--Clifton Fadiman

Amazon Price: $8.80 (as of 07/25/2008)

New Flickr Pictures

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Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher on Camera

Dignity, Elegance, Insight

MFK Fisher

Intro to a profile of the life of MFK Fisher, the famed female writer who extrapolated lessons on life from food and life in Aix en Provence in France. Directed by Barbara Wornum. The film features commentary by Jacques Pepin et al, and a legendary fried-egg sandwich recipe from the immortal Julia Child. "You must have drippings!!"

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Runtime: 2:50
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Boooks About MFK Fisher

Biographies and Profiles

M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, and Alice Waters: Celebrating the Pleasures of the Table

by Joan Reardon

Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)

Poet of the Appetites: The Lives and Loves of M.F.K. Fisher

by Joan Reardon

Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)

A Welcoming Life: The M.F.K. Fisher Scrapbook

Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)

Masters of American Cookery: M. F. K. Fisher, James Beard, Craig Claiborne, Julia Child (At Table)

Amazon Price: $25.00 (as of 07/25/2008)

Not a Station but a Place

by Judith Clancy, M. F. K. Fisher

Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 07/25/2008)

MFK Fisher collectibles on eBay

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MFK Related Story

After MFK Fisher passed away in 1992 I heard about a bookstore in Los Angeles that was selling some items from her personal library. So I took Kathy on a field trip to visit this store. I know this doesn't sound like a big deal, but Kathy hates to drive to unfamiliar places and anyone in their right mind hates driving in L.A. We lived in San Diego at the time.

That's Kathy, standing with my sweetie. I forced her to go a river cruise when she visited us in Portland. That is why she looks unhappy. And she will be mad that this is the only picture I have of her, aside from a picture of her in her Halloween costume this year. What's that, oh, she was a circus ringmaster.

Anyway, even though the books seemed to have been cherry-picked by earlier collectors, we still came away with a few things that we treasure. I just remember we had a great day together, and I'm sure we dined somewhere fabulous, although for the life of me I don't remember where.