Eve Babitz's Unsent Letters Revealed in New Book 'Too LA'

A new book, 'Too LA: Letters Never Sent (But Some Were)', collects the posthumously discovered, mostly unsent correspondence of Eve Babitz, the iconic Los Angeles writer known for her wit and hedonistic prose. The book, edited by Babitz biographer Lili Anolik, includes a lengthy 1977 letter to Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22, which Anolik describes as a 'West Coast Room of One's Own for the late 20th century'. In it, Babitz unleashes frustrations about being a woman writer, criticism of her work, sexual politics, and her fears of Huntington's disease, which she rightly suspected would kill her. The letters, preserved by Babitz's mother in sealed boxes, survived because Babitz's injured hands prevented her from opening them. Anolik, who knew Babitz in her later years, says the letters reveal a more unguarded and direct side of the writer, contrasting with her charming public persona. The book is published by Atlantic Books and available in the UK from 3 September 2026. Babitz is best known for her books 'Slow Days, Fast Company', 'Eve's Hollywood', and 'Sex and Rage'.