Global InformationThe Dud Avocado information
The Dud Avocado is the debut novel of writer Elaine Dundy, first published in 1958. The novel was a bestseller upon its release and earned acclaim from Groucho Marx, Gore Vidal and Ernest Hemingway.[1] After falling out of print it was re-issued by NYRB Classics and Virago Modern Classics in 2007 and 2018 respectively.
The novel was based on Dundy's own experiences living in Paris and follows the misadventures of Sally Jay Gorce, a 21-year-old American graduate having love affairs and trying to break into the film industry in France.[2]
In October 1993, seven years after Private Eye had pointed out the similarities, Jilly Cooper admitted that sections of her first two novels, Emily and Bella, were plagiarised from The Dud Avocado, but said that it was not deliberate.[3]
- ^ BALDWIN, ROSECRANS. "Hellbent For Living: A Screwball Parisian Adventure". NPR. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ Grimes, William (10 May 2008). "Elaine Dundy, Author of 'The Dud Avocado,' Is Dead at 86". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ Boggan, Steve (26 October 1993). "Jilly falls at old hurdle". The Independent.