Eve Babitz in a photo booth, circa 1969.

Babitz on Babylon

In an excerpt from Too L.A., Lili Anolik’s new collection of letters by her longtime muse Eve Babitz, the novelist pits West Coast pleasure against East Coast pretension in correspondence with Catch-22 author and friend Joseph Heller

Dear Joe,

I am extremely grateful for the quote you gave me [for the paperback edition of Slow Days]. They couldn’t believe it at Knopf because, my God, you don’t ever give in, Joe. You’re famous for skirting anything quotable. You might even say that after Catch-22, your greatest genius lies in circumspect dubiousness.