I made a sad little trip to our small town library today. After an hour of searching the shelves, I could find just one book by Virginia Woolf.
To the Lighthouse was on the shelf, as it always is when I look. We have a charming little lighthouse here in this small city on the shores of Lake Erie, but it doesn’t seem to inspire anyone to read Woolf’s story.
Next I prowled for some non-fiction related to Woolf. There were shelves and shelves full of Harold Bloom’s literary criticism, but not a single volume devoted to Woolf. Nor were there any Woolf letters, diaries or biographies.
Feeling a bit desperate, I paused in front of the cookbooks. And for a moment, I got excited. I thought I had a Woolf sighting in my grip.
The Book Lover’s Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Celebrated Works of Literature, and the Passages That Feature Them was in front of me. It must include Boeuf en Daube, I thought.
With much anticipation, I flipped to the index. Again, I was disappointed. Woolf, Virginia was not listed.
In an attempt at recovery from my dismay, I turned to Amazon. Here are the cookbooks I found that include dear Virginia in one way or another:
- Literary Feasts: Recipes from the Classics of Literature by Barbara Scrafford includes a section on To the Lighthouse.
- The Book Club Cookbook by Judy Gelman, Vicki Levy Krupp includes a recipe for Britta’s Crab Casserole from Michael Cunningham’s The Hours.
- Kafka’s Soup: A Complete History of World Literature in 14 Recipes by Mark Crick, and you can read what he has Virginia cooking.
On a more somber note, I also found this: Ravenous Identity: Eating and Eating Distress in the Life and Work of Virginia Woolf by Allie Glenny.
But I shall go no further down this path. Woolf and food is Alice Lowe‘s new territory.
Oh, my goodness, thanks for your comment, Susanna. You made my day shine as well.
Thank you, Paula, for making my afternoon shine!
Imagine if Woolf had had the equivalent of an Alice B. Toklas to chronicle her feasts and private pleasures!