Kate Remembered
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| Author | A. Scott Berg |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Biography |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Putnam Publishing Group |
Publication date | July 11, 2003 |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | 370 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-399-15164-8, ISBN 978-0-399-15164-4 |
Kate Remembered is a well-known book published and released on July 11, 2003 by A. Scott Berg, which tells the story and life of Katharine Hepburn, the legendary film actress. The book was released 12 days after Katharine's death at 96 on June 29. The book received mixed reviews.
Synopsis
Published within days of her death at 96, this life of Katharine Hepburn is able to take her to her final hours, following her career from her aristocratic, fresh-faced, and slightly audacious youth to her extreme old age. A. Scott Berg knew Hepburn for the last 20 years of her life, and his book is not only the biography of a beloved actress but a tribute to a dear friend—a friend to whom she told the truth about her life, including her great loves and pet hates, with an eye to its eventual publication.
Friendship with Hepburn
Berg was a personal friend of Hepburn, after meeting her in 1983. He told her he wanted to write a biography about her life and she helped him, providing a lot of information about her life. Berg told Hepburn he would release the book after her death.
Receptions
Reviews were mixed after the book was released. Gossip Columnist Liz Smith, also a friend of Katharine, said after reading it that, she responded and pronounced Mr. Berg's book, "Self-promoting fakery …. Hepburn would have despised it and his betrayal of her friendship."
He later issued a written statement via his publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons.
"Over the last two months, I have been truly shocked at Liz Smith's professional behavior-or, more accurately, her lack thereof," Mr. Berg wrote. "My family and friends have reacted with utter disbelief at the level of personal disdain conveyed by Ms. Smith toward someone she barely knows; (indeed, beyond my appearing at one of her Literacy Volunteer events, I've met her but a few times.) And I've heard that people I don't even know are shocked by her personal assault on my reputation, one that stops just short of character assassination."
Cynthia McFadden,executor of Hepburn's will and estate also had the same feelings and did not like the book. She would have preferred to have written it, as she also knew Hepburn well, but did not since she (McFadden) did not have the time.
Positive reviews about the book include: "From the start, Berg's book is a paean of praise and love...." New York Times Book Review - Robert Gottlieb (08/17/2003)
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