Martini: A Memoir
Encyclopedia
Martini: A Memoir is a book by the Australian writer Frank Moorhouse
. Part autobiography
, part history
of the martini
, the book's minimal plot involves deep conversations about the cocktail
between the author and his martini-obsessed friend, V.I. Voltz.
The book includes love letters written by Moorhouse's ex-wife, the journalist Wendy James, to him during her time as a student in Nowra. She was deeply unhappy at their unauthorised publication and at the suggestion that she had had an affair with one of her teachers. James requested that any monies earned from the book's publication be donated to charity, suggesting that charities which aid children affected by AIDS would be suitable recipients. Moorhouse offered to return 20-30 letters to James but refused to apologise for the passages of the book dealing with the affair with the teacher saying, "Nowhere in the book is it seriously suggested that the ex-wife -- not that it's purely Wendy -- ever had an affair with her teacher. This idea exists only in the mind of the character -- of the demented narrator-author."
Frank Moorhouse
Frank Moorhouse is an acclaimed Australian writer with a growing international reputation. He has won major Australian national prizes for the short story, the novel, the essay, and for script writing....
. Part autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, part history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of the martini
Martini
Martini may refer to:* Martini , a popular cocktail* Martini , a brand of vermouth* Martini , a Swiss automobile company* Martini , a French manufacturer of racing cars...
, the book's minimal plot involves deep conversations about the cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
between the author and his martini-obsessed friend, V.I. Voltz.
The book includes love letters written by Moorhouse's ex-wife, the journalist Wendy James, to him during her time as a student in Nowra. She was deeply unhappy at their unauthorised publication and at the suggestion that she had had an affair with one of her teachers. James requested that any monies earned from the book's publication be donated to charity, suggesting that charities which aid children affected by AIDS would be suitable recipients. Moorhouse offered to return 20-30 letters to James but refused to apologise for the passages of the book dealing with the affair with the teacher saying, "Nowhere in the book is it seriously suggested that the ex-wife -- not that it's purely Wendy -- ever had an affair with her teacher. This idea exists only in the mind of the character -- of the demented narrator-author."