Friday, June 29, 2012

Nora Ephron Does Not Do Blurbs -- or Detroit


Even a Motor City native has to love this gem of a letter from 1994:

Dear Elizabeth Wurtzel: 

I’m sorry not to have written sooner, but your letter and book landed in a pile that other things got on top of. I finally read P.N. [Prozac Nation] and I think you are a brilliant and funny writer. I don’t give quotes, took myself out of the quote business years ago when my vet wrote a book (I had pets once) and asked for a quote. Not to link you with my vet. Anyway, you are truly wonderful and so is your book and I hope they do not send you to places like Detroit to promote it, which could make even a person with no history of depression depressed. I cannot imagine that you would ever want to write a screenplay, but if you ever do, call me up. I’m in the book. 

Very best,
Nora Ephron

(Via Romenesko)

2 comments:

Kevin said...

I loved Nora Ephron but that letter is a bit sadistic---I'm sure unintentionally so--but she gives her such glowing comments "You are a brilliant writer; you are wonderful and so is your book" but then doesn't allow her to use the quotes. I think now that Nora is no longer around, Elizabeth should slap that Ephron quote on all her books!

Anonymous said...

Great letter. I actually respect her more for not allowing published quotes. It harks back to a time of actual written correspondence between people.