Neither piece was ever written, but Didion's notes read better than most people's finished proseHer journey through the South gfeels remarkably contemporary even though it was written over forty years ago. The last, which is more of a coda to the first part are notes on California she made in anticipation of writing a piece on the trial of Patty Hearst for Rolling Stone magazine. To call this a book of essays is a misnomer, as it is reaslly notes for two separate pieces that Didion wrote in thee 1970's., The first (and longest) piece is about her travels through, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama during a summer in the 1970 's. Here, too, is the beginning of her thinking about the West, its landscape, the western women who were heroic for her, and her own lineage. Though Didion never wrote the piece, watching the trial and being in San Francisco triggered thoughts about the city, its social hierarchy, the Hearsts, and her own upbringing in Sacramento. She writes about the stifling heat, the almost viscous pace of life, the sulfurous light, and the preoccupation with race, class, and heritage she finds in the small towns they pass through.Īnd from a different notebook: the California Notes that began as an assignment from Rolling Stone on the Patty Hearst trial of 1976.
She interviews prominent local figures, describes motels, diners, a deserted reptile farm, a visit with Walker Percy, a ladies' brunch at the Mississippi Broadcasters' Convention.
Here is one such draft that traces a road trip she took with her husband, John Gregory Dunne, in June 1970, through Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
Joan Didion has always kept notebooks: of overheard dialogue, observations, interviews, drafts of essays and articles From one of the most important chroniclers of our time, come two extended excerpts from her never-before-seen notebooks–writings that offer an illuminating glimpse into the mind and process of a legendary writer.
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