Uploaded October 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"Well, she was very beautiful. . . . She had a certain presence about her, rather theatrical in some way," says Curtis Harnack of his wife, Hortense Calisher.
Born in New York City, Calisher was a National Book Award finalist three times, won an O. Henry Award for "The Night Club in the Woods," and published over two dozen works of fiction and memoir, writing into her nineties. Calisher's husband and friends remember her dramatic presence, her grandiose way with words, and her "fierce" defense of human rights. They reflect on how Calisher's Southern Jewish background influenced her as a writer.
Watch this beautiful tribute to Hortense Calisher, evidence of how deeply one writer can impact so many people.
Learn more about Hortense Calisher: openroadmedia.com/hortense-calisher
"Well, she was very beautiful. . . . She had a certain presence about her, rather theatrical in some way," says Curtis Harnack of his wife, Hortense Calisher.
Born in New York City, Calisher was a National Book Award finalist three times, won an O. Henry Award for "The Night Club in the Woods," and published over two dozen works of fiction and memoir, writing into her nineties. Calisher's husband and friends remember her dramatic presence, her grandiose way with words, and her "fierce" defense of human rights. They reflect on how Calisher's Southern Jewish background influenced her as a writer.
Watch this beautiful tribute to Hortense Calisher, evidence of how deeply one writer can impact so many people.
Learn more about Hortense Calisher: openroadmedia.com/hortense-calisher
