Your True Calling

[bleudauvergne]

Dear Madame Willinger,

I have such admiration for your work, and I am delighted to have the chance to exchange in this venue – I hope that we will have the opportunity to welcome you regularly here on eGullet.

My question is regarding your vocation. At what point in your life did you realize that being a writer about food and Italy was your true vocation, something that you had to do in order to fulfill your purpose in life? I speak with such conviction about you having discovered this because I read it between your every line. It is a rare gift indeed.

Were you involved in writing as a profession before you went to Italy, or was it the country that brought out in you the need to put it down, as you so eloquently have done so far?

Do you have anything to share about what, in the expanse of your writing career, have been the motivating factors, saving graces, tips and techniques, in order to garner the courage and work the system to arrive at presenting it in full to the world?

My last question is, did you present your first book in its finished form to a publisher, or did you receive a stipend to write it after submitting a sample of your published work?

Kind regards,

[Faith Willinger]

I am honored. Thank you so much. I, too, am pleased to have the chance to communicate with those who are interested.

About my vocation. When I came to Italy, in the early 1970s, I knew Italian cooking from the US, spaghetti and meatballs, veal parmesean, pizza. I was blown away by Italian food in Italy, unknowns like risotto, polenta, truffles, balsamico and much more. I was fascinated by the different regional cuisines of Italy and wanted to learn everything I could about them. There was very little written about Italian regional food in English, so I researched in Italian, moved to Rome, traveled all over Italy, studied with a master chef, to learn everything that I could about eating and cooking Italian. I met Annie Brody, who was working on the book "Made in Italy" and she asked me to do the food work for her book. She's a former literary agent and told me that I should write a guidebook to Italy, like Pat Well's guide to Paris. I wrote a proposal, she agented it, it was accepted by William Morrow, I got a modest advance, and that was the beginning of my writing about Italy. I majored in English Literature at school, and took creative writing classes but it was only after I moved to Italy that I began writing, totally inspired by everything (almost) about the country. And I still am inspired, and want to teach people what I've learned. My Florentine husband Massimo taught me a great deal about Italian food and wine, turned me on to extra virgin, a life-altering experience, and encouraged me to write.

a presto

Faith

Dear Madame Willinger,

I have such admiration for your work, and I am delighted to have the chance to exchange in this venue – I hope that we will have the opportunity to welcome you regularly here on eGullet. 

My question is regarding your vocation.  At what point in your life did you realize that being a writer about food and Italy was your true vocation, something that you had to do in order to fulfill your purpose in life?  I speak with such conviction about you having discovered this because I read it between your every line.  It is a rare gift indeed. 

Were you involved in writing as a profession before you went to Italy, or was it the country that brought out in you the need to put it down, as you so eloquently have done so far? 

Do you have anything to share about what, in the expanse of your writing career, have been the motivating factors, saving graces, tips and techniques, in order to garner the courage and work the system to arrive at presenting it in full to the world? 

My last question is, did you present your first book in its finished form to a publisher, or did you receive a stipend to write it after submitting a sample of your published work? 

Kind regards,

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