Writing At The Kitchen Table: The Authorized Biography Of Elizabeth David

Artemis Cooper

Editions

Review

Artemis Cooper, daughter of one writer (John Julius Norwich), granddaughter of two others (Duff and Lady Diana Cooper), and wife of a fourth (Anthony Beevor, most recently author of  Stalingrad pbk £12.99), has chosen a fascinating subject for her latest book.  Although this is an authorised life, Cooper insists that it has not been bowdlerised for family reasons.  Elizabeth David was an extraordinary figure, and an important one in the social history of Britain.  In her innovative cookery books she harnessed her sensuous appreciation of the good things of life, some (but not all) of them learned from her great friend, Norman Douglas.

She was an extremely private person and, though she lived only a short distance from this bookshop, where her sister Felicité was second in command for many years, she practically never made an appearance here, conducting her business with us by telephone. Such public reticence meant that her life was subject to considerable rumour and speculation: this elegantly written book answers most of the questions. - review by John Wyse Jackson (Seán)