Writers And Their Cats

"Come for the behind-the-scenes stories.stay for the cutest picture of a kitten-covered Stephen King ever." — O, The Oprah Magazine Every great writer needs a mews: Mark Twain, Alice Walker, Haruki Murakami, Ursula K. Le Guin—this volume celebrates many famous authors who have shared their homes and hearts with furry feline friends. From the six-toed kitties who still inhabit the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Florida to the mewling muses of mystery writer Lilian Jackson Braun, cats are clearly, in the words of Gloria Steinem, "a writer's most logical and agreeable companion." • Features photographs and stories from 45 famous authors that capture the special bond between wordsmith and mouser • Sorted by alphabetical order, you'll see photographs from some of the most well-known authors including Beverly Cleary, Mark Twain, Stephen King, Sylvia Plath, and many more • Alison Nastasi is a journalist and the author of Artists and Their Cats, also from Chronicle Books. She lives in Los Angeles, California "Full of charming anecdotes and feline whimsy, this collection is catnip for lit nerds." — Shelf Awareness • Makes a charming and thoughtful gift for any fan of great literature and cats • An excellent addition to your coffee table books for guests to enjoy browsing

A stylish, illustrated gift book profiling notable cat-loving men throughout history. Some of history’s greatest men have been cat lovers, and their cats have contributed to their genius and legacy: the static charge from a cat’s fur sparked young Nikola Tesla’s interest in electricity; Sir Isaac Newton is said to have invited the first cat flap; visitors to Ernest Hemingway and Winston Churchill’s homes still encounter the descendants of their beloved cats; William S. Burroughs and Andy Warhol both wrote books inspired by their feline friends. Stylishly illustrated and full of charming, witty profiles and quotes from history’s most notable “cat men,” Of Cats and Men pays tribute to thirty luminaries and visionaries who have one thing in common: a pure and enduring love of cats.

From the bestselling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes this delightful tale that pays tribute to Japanese philosophy and our feline friends. What a mysterious, confounding thing is a writer! Yet, spend a little time with the writer’s cats and one might just understand her better. Muriel Barbery, via her cats and co-conspirators, takes readers into her atelier, offering them a behind-the-scenes peek into her process and problems, joys and disappointments. The tale is told from the perspective of one of the writer’s four cats, Kirin, who, together with her cohort, may or may not be a reliable narrator. There’s Ocha, the leader of the gang, a tough guy with a soft heart; the bandy-legged and affectionate Mizu, Ocha’s sister; the phlegmatic and refined Petrus, lover of flowers; and finally, pretty Kirin, narrator of this bewitching story. A superb, funny, and touching text for writers, readers, fans of Muriel Barbery’s bestselling novels, and cat lovers. “Barbery’s poetic prose and Maria Guitart’s enchanting illustrations are an irresistible combination that readers will love to cozy up to and lose themselves in for a moment.” —Booklist “Creative types of all stripes—especially cat lovers—will be enchanted by Barbery’s fun and delightfully philosophical storytelling.” —Shelf Awareness “A book of few words delightfully illustrated by Maria Guitart . . . readers will be entranced by the detailed portrayal of Barbery’s ménage, her domestic habits and customs, her obsession with order, her writing routine, and so much more.” —La Stampa (Italy)

Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo . . . so many great artists have shared one very special love: the companionship of cats. Gathered here for the first time are behind-thescenes stories of more than 50 famous artists and their feline friends. From Salvador Dali's pet ocelot Babou to John Lennon and Yoko Ono's menagerie of cats, including Salt (who was black) and Pepper (who was white), Artists and Their Cats captures these endearing friendships in charming photographs and engaging text, and reveals what creative souls and the animals best known for their independent spirits have in common. In this clever compilation, art aficionados will discover a softer side of their favorite artists, and cat lovers will enjoy a whole new way to celebrate their favorite furry friends.

A literary master’s story about the aggravations and great joys of cats, from “a most sophisticated novelist, with a gusting humor and a hushed tenderness of detail” (Julian Barnes) In the autumn of 1965, flush with the unexpected success of his first published books, the Czech author Bohumil Hrabal bought a cottage in Kersko. From then until his death in 1997, he divided his time between Prague and his country retreat, where he wrote and tended to a community of feral cats. Over the years, his relationship to cats grew deeper and more complex, becoming a measure of the pressures, both private and public, that impinged on his life as a writer. All My Cats, written in 1983 after a serious car accident, is a confessional memoir, the chronicle of an author who becomes overwhelmed. As he is driven to the brink of madness by the dilemmas created by his indulgent love for the animals, there are episodes of intense brutality as he controls the feline population. Yet in the end, All My Cats is a book about Hrabal’s relationship to nature, about the unlikely sources of redemption that come to him unbidden, like a gift from the cosmos—and about love.

The naming of Cats is a difficult matter,It isn't just one of your holiday games;You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatterWhen I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.So begins one of the best-known poetry collections of all time. The practical cats need no introduction, but this stunning new full-colour version, illustrated by Júlia Sardà, is the perfect companion to Old Toffer's Dogs. Whether you are a cat or a dog person, you will be enchanted by Júlia's highly original interpretation.

Experience the uplifting, "unforgettable" New York Times bestseller about an abandoned kitten named Dewey, whose life in a library won over a farming town and the world -- with over 2 million copies sold! (Booklist) Dewey's story starts in the worst possible way. On the coldest night of the year in Spencer, Iowa, at only a few weeks old--a critical age for kittens--he was stuffed into the return book slot of the Spencer Public Library. He was found the next morning by library director Vicki Myron, a single mother who had survived the loss of her family farm, a breast cancer scare, and an alcoholic husband. Dewey won her heart, and the hearts of the staff, by pulling himself up and hobbling on frostbitten feet to nudge each of them in a gesture of thanks and love. For the next nineteen years, he never stopped charming the people of Spencer with his enthusiasm, warmth, humility (for a cat), and, above all, his sixth sense about who needed him most. As his fame grew from town to town, then state to state and finally, amazingly, worldwide, Dewey became more than just a friend; he became a source of pride for an extraordinary Heartland farming community slowly working its way back from the greatest crisis in its long history.

Part diva, part purring furball, cats always keep you wondering. Are they happy to see you? Mad at the world? Cats are subtle little comics, rubbing against your legs when you'd forgotten they were in the room, purring in your ear in the middle of the night. What is it about these sly, droll, and unpredictable creatures that captivates us? And what's the deal with the whole crazy cat lady stereotype, anyway? From a tale about how rescuing a stray cat ended up saving a friendship to an unapologetic piece by a confirmed -- and proud! -- crazy cat lady, the essays in Cat Women range from thought-provoking and heartrending to laugh-out-loud funny, all delving into the many ways these often aloof little divas touch our lives.