Eve Babitz is more than just a writer or an artist. She is a true cultural icon, whose unconventional life and work made her a beloved figure in the art world and beyond.
Read MoreIt's the frames which make some things important and some things forgotten. It's all only frames from which the content rises.— Eve Babitz
Anyone who lived past thirty just wasn't trying hard enough to have fun.— Eve Babitz
The quintessential biography of Eve Babitz (1943-2021), the brilliant chronicler of 1960s and 70s Hollywood hedonism and one of the most original American voices of her time. A book about a fascinating and complex woman who lived life on her own terms.
Lili Anolik's book "Hollywood's Eve: Eve Babitz and the Secret History of L.A." is an exploration of the life of a woman who defies categorization. Anolik takes a conversational tone as she delves into the life of her literary idol and shares her own doubts and fears about what she might find on this journey.
Anolik spent years researching Babitz's life and works, recording interviews and studying her writing, and the result is a book that brings Babitz to life. Anolik manages to avoid the trap of having Babitz get lost in her association with famous people, instead offering readers a glimpse into the complexities of the young woman who became one of Los Angeles' cultural icons.
More than that, she reveals Babitz's lusty intentions and artistic practice, comparing her to Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Anolik identifies key players in Babitz's work and reveals her own take on it, blurring the line between genres.
Throughout "Hollywood's Eve," Anolik shows her uncompromising affection for her subject, creating a bond with the reader that is both endearing and an apt stylistic homage to Babitz's own voice and writing style. It's a powerful picture of a complicated artist who managed to blur yours followers between fiction and memoir.
Lili Anolik is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. Her work has also appeared in Harper’s, Esquire, and The Believer.
