Didion & Babitz
Author: Lili Anolik
Published by: Atlantic Books
Pages: 344
Format: Hardback
My Rating: ★★★★
Eve Babitz died on December 17, 2021. Found in the wrack, ruin and filth of her apartment, a stack of boxes packed by her mother decades before. The boxes were pristine, the seals of duct tape unbroken. Inside, a lost world, centred on a two-story rental in a down-at-heel section of Hollywood in the sixties and seventies.
7406 Franklin Avenue was the making of one great American writer: Joan Didion, a mystery behind her dark glasses and cool expression, an enigma inside her storied marriage to John Gregory Dunne. Franklin Avenue was also the breaking and then the remaking - and thus the true making - of another great American writer: Eve Babitz, goddaughter of Igor Stravinsky, nude of Marcel Duchamp, consort of Jim Morrison (among many, many others), a woman who burned so hot she finally almost burned herself alive. Didion and Babitz formed a complicated alliance, a friendship that went bad, amity turning to enmity
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7406 Franklin Avenue was the making of one great American writer: Joan Didion, a mystery behind her dark glasses and cool expression, an enigma inside her storied marriage to John Gregory Dunne. Franklin Avenue was also the breaking and then the remaking - and thus the true making - of another great American writer: Eve Babitz, goddaughter of Igor Stravinsky, nude of Marcel Duchamp, consort of Jim Morrison (among many, many others), a woman who burned so hot she finally almost burned herself alive. Didion and Babitz formed a complicated alliance, a friendship that went bad, amity turning to enmity
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My thoughts:
Lili Anolik’s Didion & Babitz is a dazzling, utterly compelling exploration of two of the most fascinating women writers of the 20th century - Joan Didion and Eve Babitz. With sharp insight and an irresistibly engaging style, Anolik deftly examines the striking contrasts between Didion’s cool, controlled prose and Babitz’s bubbly, free-spirited storytelling, all while weaving together their intertwined histories in a way that feels both illuminating and deeply entertaining.
What makes this book such a delight is Anolik’s ability to bring these two literary forces to life, offering not just an analysis of their work but a vivid, intimate look at who they were beyond the page. The differences in their writing and personalities only make their relationship more compelling—Didion, the detached observer chronicling the anxieties of an era, and Babitz, the unapologetic hedonist capturing the sensual, chaotic energy of Los Angeles.
Anolik doesn’t just compare these women—she celebrates them, unearthing the ways in which their work and lives reflected the cultural moment they inhabited. Through her sharp yet affectionate lens, we see Didion’s precision and restraint contrasted with Babitz’s lush, uninhibited prose, but instead of pitting them against each other, Anolik shows how both were essential voices of their time. Their connection—sometimes distant, sometimes close—becomes a fascinating study of influence, admiration, and diversity.
Anolik’s writing is effortlessly captivating, striking the perfect balance between thoughtful literary commentary and juicy, irresistible storytelling. It’s a book that feels impossible to put down, pulling you deeper into the worlds of Didion and Babitz with every page. Whether you’re already a fan of these two women or just discovering them, this book is a must-read—smart, stylish, and endlessly fascinating.
Overall reaction:
Lili Anolik’s Didion & Babitz is a dazzling, utterly compelling exploration of two of the most fascinating women writers of the 20th century - Joan Didion and Eve Babitz. With sharp insight and an irresistibly engaging style, Anolik deftly examines the striking contrasts between Didion’s cool, controlled prose and Babitz’s bubbly, free-spirited storytelling, all while weaving together their intertwined histories in a way that feels both illuminating and deeply entertaining.
What makes this book such a delight is Anolik’s ability to bring these two literary forces to life, offering not just an analysis of their work but a vivid, intimate look at who they were beyond the page. The differences in their writing and personalities only make their relationship more compelling—Didion, the detached observer chronicling the anxieties of an era, and Babitz, the unapologetic hedonist capturing the sensual, chaotic energy of Los Angeles.
Anolik doesn’t just compare these women—she celebrates them, unearthing the ways in which their work and lives reflected the cultural moment they inhabited. Through her sharp yet affectionate lens, we see Didion’s precision and restraint contrasted with Babitz’s lush, uninhibited prose, but instead of pitting them against each other, Anolik shows how both were essential voices of their time. Their connection—sometimes distant, sometimes close—becomes a fascinating study of influence, admiration, and diversity.
Anolik’s writing is effortlessly captivating, striking the perfect balance between thoughtful literary commentary and juicy, irresistible storytelling. It’s a book that feels impossible to put down, pulling you deeper into the worlds of Didion and Babitz with every page. Whether you’re already a fan of these two women or just discovering them, this book is a must-read—smart, stylish, and endlessly fascinating.
Overall reaction:
