Francine du Plessix Gray and the 1970s

Francine du Plessix Gray shocked everyone (or so people tell me) in the mid 1970s with her astonishing talent. Her debut novel Lovers and Tyrants came out of nowhere and had the indisputable thrill of a Proustian recollection fueled by hallucinogens, third wave feminism, and a ferocious intelligence which du Plessix Gray never let dominate her chronicle, but elegantly wove philosophy and history through the at times hilarious and heartbreaking story of a woman struggling deep within the engine of middle age to understand her life. The novel while not entering the pantheon of mega bestsellers like "Fear of Flying" did play a pivotal role in the literary world and many women writer's of the next generation found much to emulate in du Plessix Gray's ability to write with a self-revealing candor that maintained a consistent level of art. Unlike Jong, the literary arrow consistently aimed high and struck the mark, combining a degree of self-disclosure that was all the more powerful in taking on themes of marriage, madness, sexuality, masochism, and existential imprisonment with an acuity of perception that was both hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure. Ah Francine, keep writing, let's see more of it. Her recent autobiography, THEM, which deservedly won the National Book Award for Creative Nonfiction showcased her talents, but somehow lacked the same fire. Let's keep our fingers crossed that she can and will do it again!