Christopher Buckley Publishing Book About Parents, William F. And Pat Buckley

Dead or alive, the Buckleys continue to command attention. The BBC has a William F. Buckley documentary in production, and two biographies are on the way: an authorized life by New York Times Book Review editor Sam Tanenhaus and an oral history by former Washington Post gossip columnist Lloyd Grove. Bill Buckley's 55th book, The Reagan I Knew, which he was close to finishing when he died, has just been published by Basic Books. A memoir of his personal and political relationship with President Reagan, it includes 40 years of correspondence between Buckley and both Ronald and Nancy Reagan, as well as a foreword by Christopher Buckley, who helped Linda Bridges of the National Review complete it.

But the book that will no doubt create the greatest stir is Christopher's own memoir of his parents' last days, Losing Mum and Pup, due out in May. Coming on the heels of his latest novel, Supreme Courtship, a send-up of the nation's highest judicial institution, it will be his 14th book--literary prolificacy runs in the family. "Writing this book may have been simply a way of spending more time with my parents, before finally letting them go," Christopher, who is 56, told me. "I honestly had no intention of writing about them. But I'm a writer, and when the universe hands you material like this, it would seem an act of conscious omission not to do something about it. It spilled out of me. I wrote it in 40 days--no biblical association intended. This book is going to land hard in some quarters, although anyone who concludes that it's anything but an act of love will, I think, be wrong. It's a book about two very complex people. They were not your typical mom and dad. This is not Ozzie and Harriet. They were William F. and Pat Buckley. The phrase 'larger than life' doesn't twice cover it."

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[bubbuh]

The book should be well worth reading, CB owes as much to Twain and he does to his Dad, WFB when it comes to literary style. CB is a quieter and more free spirited, easy going version of his old man as he was in his younger days. Depending on how far back in time the memoir goes, CB's book might open a few eyes on what a real conservative is and why the like should not be summarily ashcanned with the Bushes, Roves, Cheneys and Palins. For instance,
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878089,00.html
It's been a bad year for Christopher Buckley. I hope the forthcoming memoir gives him a reason to smile, too.

[bubbuh]

cut and paste the full link HuffPost sems to dislike stuff plucked from Time.

[jukesgrrl]

If he tells the unvarnished truth, I'd be interested in reading the memoir. The Buckleys were a very unusual couple who, for better or worse, had a strong impact on our American culture.

[bujeeboo]

Buckley always struck me as effete and elite. All the things that Conservatives vilify and try to imbue Liberals with.

[bubbuh]

William F. was unabashedly elite. No clue where you get the effete from. Perhaps, you disdain courtesy? Bill was always courteous except, as far as I know, around Gore Vidal and, maybe, Noam Chomsky.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYymnxoQnf8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEIrZO069Kg&feature=related

[Metoyer]

I'd like to read Bill's letters to Ronnie. I wonder if a patronizing tone entered them, as Reagan was a self-admitted nonintellectual.

[Topfeeder]

This sounds like a fascinating portrait of an unfailing marriage. I hated their politics but admired their everlasting allegiance to each other. Both were such characters. Can't wait to read this.