Judith Martin

My Articles

My Bio

Judith Martin is awash on the stormy seas of etiquette and just as frequently, she is awash on the gorgeous canals of Venice where she makes her second home.

She is a Washington expert, having covered the White House before creating her advice column under its famous byline “Miss Manners.” This amusing but sternly correct taskmaster has written 14 books on how to behave, and has also done two novels, and her most recently-published work of nonfiction entitled No Vulgar Hotel: The Desire and Pursuit of Venice. She is married and has two children.

Do Venice and Washington, as the twain, ever meet? Well, President Bush minded his manners long enough to give Judith a 2005 National Humanities Medal.

My Favorites

Dead to Me:

Boredom, non-specific guilt and envy. They were forbidden me as a child, and I found I could get along quite well without them.

My Shoes:

Daniela Ghezzo at Segalin a Venezia

My Foods:

Home cooking by my husband, especially the caviar blini with which he courted me.

I Love(d) Listening To:

That awful Mr. Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” (although I am ashamed to admit it).

I Wish I Lived In:

The house I do live in, but with a less crowded attic

I Want to Own:

Any company that I must deal with (telephone, airline, electrical power) so that I could insist upon decent customer service.

My Dream Experience Would Be:

Singing the great soprano roles in the major opera houses to grateful audiences who would then unhitch the horses from my carriage and pull it through the streets. (If only I could carry a tune.)

I Love(d) Watching:

Bert Lahr in “Waiting for Godot”
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Andre Gregory directing in “Vanya on 42nd Street”

The First Thing I Do in the Morning Is:

Try to remember the amazing idea that I had during the night

I Respect:

The offices of our government, if not always the office-holders.

I Love(d) Reading:

The Master
His, Mrs. Wharton
Her acquaintance, Mr. Proust
Mr. Trollope
Ms. Eliot
Miss Austen (although I never, not even in her absence, refer to her as Jane)
And that odd M. Beyle, who insists on calling himself Stendhal

I Hoard:

Things that apparently nobody else wants, so they are no longer made, including:

I Use:

Asparagus holders
Strawberry forks
Salad knives
Fish forks and knives
Berry spoons
Corn forks
Lobster picks
Orange knives and spoons
Ice cream spoons
Fruit knives and forks
Sandwich tongs
Click here for all

I’m Addicted To:

I Admire:

The ability to memorize Italian, French and Spanish verbs so as to produce the right tense at the right time.

What Wows Me:

Disinterested kindness

I Don’t Care What They Say:

I still won’t shorten my skirts.

My Remedies:

For any ailment whatsoever: going to Venice, Italy

My Professional Links:

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