Auto da Fay: A Memoir

By: Fay Weldon

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Synopsis: A New York Times Notable Book: The &“wise and haunting&” memoir from one of England&’s most witty and beloved writers is &“from first to last a wonder&” (Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post). From life as a poor unwed mother in London to becoming one of England&’s bestselling authors, Fay Weldon has crammed more than most into her years. Wife, lover, playwright, novelist, feminist, antifeminist, winer and diner—Fay leads us through her peripatetic life with barely a role she can&’t illuminate. Born Franklin Birkinshaw in 1931, Fay spent most of her youth in New Zealand. With her glamorous father, a philandering doctor, generally absent, Fay&’s intrepid mother and bohemian grandmother raised her along with her sister, Jane. Brought up among women, Fay found men a mystery until the swinging sixties in London where she became a central figure in the literary scene. She scraped along penning winning advertising slogans before she began to write fiction. As this memoir comes to a close, we witness the stirring of her first novel. Riddled with Weldon&’s fierce opinions, as well as her &“stinging wit, jaunty prose, memorable bon mots,&” this frank and absorbing memoir is vintage Fay. An icon to many, a thorn in the flesh to others, she has never failed to excite, madden, or interest. And now she has finally turned her authorial wit and keen eye on . . . herself (Publishers Weekly, starred review).