Three years ago, more than 130 letters Wharton wrote to Bahlmann over the course of 42 years came to auction. They are now archived at Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. In May, Yale University Press will publish “My Dear Governess: The Letters of Edith Wharton to Anna Bahlmann,’’ edited by Wharton scholar Irene Goldman-Price. The correspondence with Bahlmann, who became Wharton’s literary secretary and confidant, provides insights into Wharton’s intellectual development and the influence Bahlmann had over her young charge’s education as well as the friendship between the two women.
The letters were closely read by Jennie Fields whose upcoming novel, “The Age of Desire,’’ focuses on the women’s friendship and how it was threatened by an affair Wharton had. Viking will publish it in August. With the advance she received, Fields was able to quit her job to write full time. She was casting about for an idea for her fourth novel when her agent, Lisa Bankoff, suggested she write about Wharton. Bahlmann had already emerged as a central character in the novel when the discovery of the letters was announced.
A longtime friend of Henry James and the author of more than 40 books, Wharton was a frequent contributor to Scribner’s and Harper’s magazines. Her 12th novel, “The Age of Innocence,’’ about the customs and contradictions of New York’s upper crust, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1921.
Besides a birthday toast and cake, The Mount’s open house on Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. will feature a screening of “The Old Maid,’’ based on Wharton’s story of the same name and starring Bette Davis, and a reading from Wharton’s autobiography “A Backward Glance.’’
Wharton fans are invited to express birthday greetings online via video, photographs, poems, and essays. The Mount’s hope is to amass 1,000 wishes.
Coming out
■ “Sealab: America’s Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean Floor’’ by Ben Hellwarth (Simon & Schuster)
■ “Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning’’ by Gary Marcus (Penguin)
■ “Cain’s Legacy: Liberating Siblings from a Lifetime of Rage, Shame, Secrecy, and Regret’’ by Jeanne Safer (Basic)
Pick of the week
Sarah Rettger of Newtonville Books in Newton recommends “Second Read: Writers Look Back at Classic Works of Reportage’’ edited by James Marcus (Columbia University): “Covering a range of long-form journalism from classics such as James Agee’s ‘Let Us Now Praise Famous Men’ and Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ to less well-known works including Betty McDonald’s ‘Anybody Can Do Anything,’ this rich collection features contemporary journalists offering fresh looks at the work of previous generations.’’
