Here But Not Here by Lillian Ross is a
non-fiction memoir about her life with William Shawn and her time with The
New Yorker magazine. She was a renowned writer, Shawn was the fabled
editor, and together there was a forty year love affair. He remained married to
his wife and Lillian Ross respected that marriage. The wife knew about Ross and
gave the relationship her blessing. Yes, this is a bit bizarre to contemplate,
and yet it worked. She felt she had a “normal” life and never dated others,
never considered her “single” life sad. She did not make demands of Shawn. The
time they could spend together at work and go out in New York City proved
enough. He did not shirk his kids, etc. This was a case for him of
being immersed in love – a married love, and an amazing connection love.
The book covers the 1950s to Shawn’s death in 1992. Ross
writes about meeting Shawn, her respect for him, her writing career, her time
in Hollywood covering a John Huston film, and her life in New York. Here
But Not Here is fascinating. It’s not creepy weird. Yes, real
life is stranger than fiction. And so is love. They had an intellectual
connection that transcended conventions.
Lillian Ross’s descriptions of being a writer for The
New Yorker, her respect for the magazine and it’s writers, her respect
for the editors is rather interesting and pertinent for today. The amount
of work and editing and quality required was enormous. I’ve read other books by
Ross – i.e. a collection of her articles and essays. She’s a talent, and this
book – a memoir – is well done. Quite a tale!
