Decade-ism

DECADE-ISM is an American love that never stops speaking its name. Decades are no longer simply a measure of time but a major source of income for the scribbling classes. I know: I had a decade cottage industry going full tilt in the early Seventies when all the newly minted feminists wanted to read about how repressive the Fifties were.

The Fifties were my salad decade, when I was one-and-twenty, so I became the toast of the liberated magazines. My agent would phone and say, “Have you finished the Fifties piece?” and I’d say, “Which one?”

About the Author

Florence King

Florence King was a contributing editor of National Review.

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DECADE-ISM is an American love that never stops speaking its name. Decades are no longer simply a measure of time but a major source of income for the scribbling classes. I know: I had a decade cottage industry going full tilt in the early Seventies when all the newly minted feminists wanted to read about how repressive the Fifties were.

The Fifties were my salad decade, when I was one-and-twenty, so I became the toast of the liberated magazines. My agent would phone and say, “Have you finished the Fifties piece?” and I’d say, “Which one?”