Welcome to our new Monday feature, "Mondays with Max". The Max we are referring to is Maxwell Perkins, former resident of what is now Snapdragon Inn. Maxwell Perkins has been referenced here in the blog from time to time, but for our new readers, here is a little summary.
William Maxwell Evarts bought six houses in a row in Windsor as well as several acres of wooded area in the 1800s. The family referred to the woods as "Paradise". Eventually, the homes were sold or passed down through the family and the woods became the anchor for what is now Paradise Park. Max Perkins inherited the house from his mother and he brought his family to Windsor every summer. He wanted his 5 daughters to have the same joyful experiences in Windsor that he did.
By trade, Perkins was one of the most influential American literary editors of his time. He is most famous for his work with Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe.
In this feature, we'll be focusing on all things literary. Some will relate directly to Perkins, others will relate to Vermont or New England. Today, just for your pondering pleasure, I'd like to just share a few quotes from Maxwell Perkins on the subject of writing. Enjoy!
Anybody can find out if he is a writer. If he were a writer, when he tried to write of some particular day, he would find in the effort that he could recall exactly how the light fell and how the temperature felt, and all the quality of it. Most people cannot do it. If they can do it, they may never be successful in a pecuniary sense, but that ability is at the bottom of writing, I am sure.
- Maxwell PerkinsJust get it down on paper, and then we'll see what to do with it.- Maxwell Perkins
6 comments:
Max seems like a man who truly enjoyed the area. His words seem to help others understand that there has been a true love and respect for the area for a long time.
Jen
This will be a great feature. I never realized he was a literary editor. can you just imagine working with the likes of Hemingway and Wolfe! WOW!
Chris, I have to thank you so much for all this info! I have lived in Vermont my whole life and always wondered if the houses were connected in anyway! I look forward to future Mondays!
Jen, You hit the nail on the head!
Pretty cool huh Sara!
Kim, thanks for stopping by. There is a lit of history to be shared!
Would also like to give a shout out to Barbara Rhodes for sharing the old photographs with us so we could scan them and share.
Well, I have been working at increasing my vocabulary lately and Maxwell helped me do it. In my circle, folks just don't use "pecuniary" much.
not Anonymous, Beth Schade
Seriously? A famous literary editor who worked with Hemingway..and Wolfe?? Wow, you just don't find people like that west of New England, do you? I'm going to look forward to Monday's with Max every week.
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