Zosia Mamet grew up in Hollywood and experienced intense loneliness in her early twenties while attending frequent auditions. She spent nights memorizing lines and reading extensively, turning to writers such as Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, and John O'Hara for consolation. Pride and Prejudice remains a lasting favorite for its escapist power and emotional intensity. Eve Babitz's Slow Days, Fast Company resonated by capturing Los Angeles's contradictory mix of disgust and magic, making her feel seen. Mamet initially resisted contemporary fiction under familial influence but later embraced newer novels as her tastes evolved.
"All I would do at night was learn my lines and read a ton. I read a lot of Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, John O'Hara,"
"There's an element that's so escapist to her writing. It made the rest of my world just totally disappear,"
"She is a powerful, entertaining writer for anyone. But I think as someone who grew up in Hollywood, there's something about LA that's so hard to capture and describe. It's both disgusting and the most magical place,"
"The seesaw effect of living there can just give you whiplash, and it hit so hard for me when I read it because it made me feel so seen and understood."
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