"Dearest Georg"

January 15, 2010
Bulgarian-born author Elias Canettilaureate of the 1981 Nobel Prize in Literature for his diverse body of work of fiction, essays, and nonfiction in Germanled a complicated life, settling in England along with his wife, Veza, after fleeing Nazi-ruled Vienna. His younger brother, Georges, a microbiologist doctor, lived in France until his death there in 1971. Veza herself was a published author but devoted herself to making her husband finish his oeuvre. Separately, and often secretly, the couple corresponded with Georges, writing about their respective states of physical and mental health. This book is made up mainly of the letters that Georges received from Elias and Veza (complete for the years 193338 and 194448) and that were discovered in his Paris residence after his death. This volume, an English translation of the 2006 German edition, includes the letters in chronological order as well as annotations identifying persons and explaining various metaphors and references. VERDICT Readers who want critical guidance to Canetti's work and his correspondence with siblings will find the lack of an introduction to this collection limiting. Otherwise, highly recommended for comprehensive academic collections.Ali Houissa, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY

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