hewolf-stories,onehankersformore;fortheLizzieBordehatweothave.)

    Baudelaire,Poe,Dream-Shakespeare,Hollywood,panto,fairytale:Carterwearsherinfluencesopenly,forsheistheirdestruist,theirsaboteur.Shetakeswhatweknowand,havingbrokenit,putsittogetherinherownspiky,courteousway;herwordsarenewandnot-new,likeourown.Inherhandsderella,givenbackherinalnameofAshputtle,isthefire-scarredheroialeofhorridmutilatihtbymother-love;JohnFordsTisPityShesaWhorebeesamoviedirectedbyaverydifferentFord;andthehiddenmeanings--perhapsoneshouldsaythehiddennatures--ofpantomimecharactersarerevealed.

    Sheopensanoldstoryforus,likeanegg,andfindstheory,thenow-storywewanttohear,within.

    Nosuchthingasaperfectwriter.Cartershigh-wireacttakesplaceoverasofpreciousness,overquidsoftheardtwee;andtheresnodenyingthatshesometimesfallsoff,ingawayfromoddoutbreaksoffol-de-rol,andsomeofherpuddings,hermostardentadmirerswillcede,areexcessivelyegged.Toomuchuseofwordslike"eldritch",toomanymenwhoarerich"asCroesus",toomuchporphyryandlapislazulitopleaseacertainsortofpurist.Butthemiracleishowoftenshepullsitoff;howoftenshepirouetteswithoutfalling,leswithoutdroppingaball.

    Accusedbylazypensofpoliticalcorreess,shewasthemostindividual,indepeandidiosyncraticofwriters;dismissedbymanyinherlifetimeasamarginal,cultishfigure,aichothouseflower,shehasbeetheporarywritermoststudiedatBritishuies--avictoryoverthemainstreamshewouldhaveenjoyed.

    Shehadntfinished.LikeItaloCalvino,likeBruceChatwin,likeRaymond