In the “Literary It Girl” universe, there is no larger chasm than that between Joan Didion acolytes and Eve Babitz fanatics. Didion, who covered American countercultures with a raised eyebrow, feels a world away from Babitz’s chronicles of the bacchanal that was the Hollywood rock ’n’ roll scene in the late 1960s. But in her new book Didion & Babitz, out November 12 from Scribner, writer Lili Anolik argues that the titanic writers were, in a way, two sides of the same coin.
Babitz addressed their similarities with her signature cheek. “Joan and I connected. The drugs she was on, I was on,” she said. But while their social and professional circles overlapped in Hollywood and beyond, Didion and Babitz had little else in common. In fact, in the dedication of Eve’s Hollywood, Babitz wrote of Didion and her husband, John Dunne: “[T]o the Didion-Dunnes for having to be who I’m not.”
Below, find out once and for all if you’re a Joan Didion or an Eve Babitz.
Which historical period or event hast most informed your worldview?
A: The Donner Party.
B: Old Hollywood.
So you want to be a writer. What’s your first step?
A: Win a college essay-writing contest and land a job at Vogue.
B: Write a letter to a famous author, lamenting that people don’t take you seriously because you are simply too sexy.
What do you look for in a romantic partner?
A: A protector.
B: A rock star. Or an actor. Or a photographer. Or a record-label executive. Or an artist. Or an artist’s brother.
What’s your vice?
A: An ice-cold Coca-Cola first thing in the morning.
B: Quaaludes.
Harrison Ford is your:
A: Carpenter.
B: Dealer. And lover.
You’re going on a trip. What are you packing?
A:
To Pack and Wear:
2 skirts
2 jerseys or leotards
1 pullover sweater
2 pair shoes
stockings
bra
nightgown
robe
slippers
cigarettes
bourbon
Bag with:
shampoo
toothbrush and paste
Basis soap
razor
deodorant
aspirin
prescriptions
Tampax
face cream
powder
baby oil
To Carry:
mohair throw
typewriter
2 legal pads
pens
files
house key
B: Whatever I can fit in a pillowcase.
In lieu of getting a divorce you…
A: Move to Hawaii.
