Among the Porcupines, Signed by Carol Matthau
[Signed] Matthau, Carol. Among the Porcupines. First Edition. 1992. Book and dust jacket are both in very good condition—jacket is price-clipped. Book is inscribed on the half title page, “For James, you’re terrific. Thank you, Carol.”
Carol Matthau moved easily among some of the twentieth century’s most colorful social and cultural circles. A New York debutante, she counted Gloria Vanderbilt and Oona Chaplin among her closest friends, and Truman Capote, always guaranteed to stir up drama, hovered at the edge of their triumvirate. Later came two turbulent marriages to Pulitzer Prize-winning writer William Saroyan, followed by many happy—if not entirely uncomplicated—years with actor Walter Matthau. In this highly stylized memoir, Matthau recounts those experiences with wit, candor, and an eye for the absurdities of love and friendship. Though not every detail bears close scrutiny, the result is part social history, part literary memoir, offering a glimpse into a world where society figures, writers, actors, and eccentrics moved in the same orbit. Though often remembered in connection with the famous men in her life, Matthau proves more than capable of commanding the spotlight herself.
“There it was—love. You can’t see it, you can’t touch it, but it permeates every cell of your being, no matter what the consequences.”
--Carol Matthau