eve gave us 9 amazing stories about her life (and others), each one being so exciting and interesting, her being shameless was just everything. This April, Counterpoint Press released Black Swans (1993), a wistful collection of nine autobiographical tales from the 1980s and '90s. Her wholesale embrace of what is lovely and dangerous and absurd about Los Angeles appeals to contemporary readers. Nearly forty years after Sex and Rage's initial publication, Jacaranda's candid combination of moxie and sophistication feels fresh as a new generation of their private and public lives.

Babitz was living proof that rock-and-roll decadence also could be elegant and that muses could be the sharpest tacks in the room. Counterpoint has just republished Sex and Rage, which seems a wise move as the story still feels modern . This is the product of the autobiographical style of her writing which often has a texture more similar to personal nonfiction than fiction, which makes conversations about contemporary events feel naturally woven into her world . Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. This exciting reissue further celebrates the phenomenon of Eve Babitz, cementing her reputation as the voice of a generation.A new reissue of Babitz’s collection of nine stories that look back on the 1980s and early 1990s—decades of dreams, drink, and glimpses of a changing world. So adamant was this belief that a popular proverb had circulated in Europe since the Roman satirist Juvenal wrote in 82 AD : rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cygno ( a rare bird in the lands, and very like a black swan). I particularly found myself going back to where she wrote, “There are half a dozen moments in Black Swans that feel disturbing in hindsight (Eve’s lack of political consciousness is hard to read in 2018. You know, there were some moments in here that just felt like navel-gazing, pimping-myself-out (which I love), rich-bitch nonsense.

While her light take is undeniably frustrating, this self-centered framing is human, and uncomfortably relatable. Don’t pick it up if you’d prefer to hear a more discerning narrative from someone who wasn’t immune to the metaphorical and literal smog of the darker and more nuanced realities of 90s LA.

There is also a wandering in Babitz's world (she once told her mother that she wanted to grow up to become an adventuress) that embodies the spirit of today's popular wanderlust mantras inked on inside forearms.

Comforted by the apparent success of the women’s movement, Nixon’s resignation, and the end of Vietnam War, they 'got sidetracked […] ‘White backlash’ happened. On the page, Babitz is pure pleasure-a perpetual-motion machine of no-stakes elation and champagne fizz.another favourite was one free tibet was really emotional, and touching, something not easy to forget. These fictionalised memoirs were at first OK, but the second I realised they all followed the same format and had the exact same tone, the repetitiveness became deathly boring — and this happened before half-way through the book. I love that it’s almost the opposite of SEX AND RAGE as it’s a more mellow and sober Eve, but still captures her amazing effervescent, humorous, and intensely personal style.

I don’t know why it’s categorised as fictional short stories when they are memoir essays; I’m guessing it’s to avoid legal issues since she references real people. Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. On the page, Babitz is pure pleasure―a perpetual-motion machine of no-stakes elation and champagne fizz.When asked, Babitz says her last serious relationship, the last time she thought she might get married, was in 1971, before she published her first story. I read this work alongside some Janet Malcolm and Joan Didion to see whose writing style I enjoyed the most.