M. E. Kerr (1927–2022)

Descent into Madness
Review of the Kindle eBook edition (2022) of the Gold Medal Book paperback original (1952)

Spring Fire was Marijane Meaker's (writing under the pseudonym Vin Packer) pulp paperback about a lesbian romance between sorority sisters in 1952. The repressive atmosphere of that era had Meaker's publishers require that the romance should fail and be a cause of regret afterwards.

That is in contrast to the ending of Patricia Highsmith's lesbian romance (writing as Claire Morgan) The Price of Salt, also published in 1952, which was more optimistic. Meaker's book is more explicit about the physical romance however, with Highsmith being more restrained.

See cover at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/35/Spring_Fire_Cover_First_Edition.j...
The cover of the Gold Medal Books paperback original (1952). Image sourced from Wikipedia.

Although my 2022 Kindle edition shares the cover design of the 2004 Cleis paperback & ebook Spring Fire, it does not include Marijane Meaker's then newly written introduction in which she apparently wrote that she was embarrassed about having the book republished, although it still stands as a breakthrough work for lesbian literature.

I read Spring Fire as an addendum to my recent Patricia Highsmith binge. Meaker and Highsmith were also involved in a earlier relationship about which Meaker later wrote a memoir Highsmith: A Romance of the 1950's (2003).

Trivia and Links
You can read Marijane Meaker's (1927-2022) obituary in The New York Times here.

You can read further about the background to the original publication of Spring Fire at Literary Ladies Guide by Francis Booth, March 21, 2021.

Marijane Meaker was interviewed for the Patricia Highsmith documentary film Loving Highsmith (2022) directed by Eva Vitija. You can see several excerpts of Meaker's interview in the trailer for the film here (she first says: "Pat was more dedicated than any writer I had ever met. Certainly she was very famous when I met her.").… (meer)

Oh, boy. The thing I find truly useful about this book is its exploration of the heavy themes of the Holocaust without being a "Holocaust book." Written at a time (1978) when one's grandfather could have been a Nazi strongman in a concentration camp, the story doesn't center on the terrible things Buddy's grandfather might have done -- instead, the focus is on Buddy, trying to find his way as a blue-collared "townie" in love with a super-rich girl outside of Montauk, New York.

Without spoiling, I'll ask -- Can humans change? Is redemption possible? Are there crimes so godawfully heinous that they cannot be forgiven?

This book shows its age only because tape decks, polyester, and Barbra Streisand are no longer de rigeur -- otherwise, the eternal themes of love, loss, and betrayal are poignantly rendered in this early offering from a master of teen literature.… (meer)

Libro molto bello che ho centellinato e assaporato in questi mesi.
La scrittrice Marijane Meaker racconta i due anni di relazione con Patricia Highsmith alla fine degli anni '50. Interessante lo sguardo sull'ambiente editoriale e intellettuale della New York di quegli anni, su quello gay e lesbico, e su alcune ossessioni e passioni della Highsmith (il bere, l'antisemitismo, e anche un certo razzismo verso le persone di colore). Alla fine del libro c'è la descrizione del loro ultimo incontro dopo molti anni in cui non si erano più viste.
Ho "ritagliato" qualche pagina dal libro qui: https://patriziamandanici.wordpress.com/2016/05/09/highsmith-una-storia-damore-d...… (meer)