Category: Famous Friends

British poet T.S. Eliot and American comedian Groucho Marx became friends when Eliot wrote Marx saying he was a fan and asking for an autograph. Marx reciprocated. They corresponded for several years and finally met in 1964, when Marx came for dinner. Seeing pictures of Eliot’s esteemed friends on the wall, Marx requested that his be added too. Eliot agreed but never complied. The friendship morphed into a sniping rivalry. Nevertheless, when Eliot died a few months later, Marx wrote that they had in common an affection for good cigars and cats, and a weakness for making puns.” Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Eliot and Marx, poet and punster, had a friendly rivalry

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick is more a sidelined narrator rather than a participating friend. Gatsby uses Nick, yet Nick vicariously relishes Gatsby’s romanticism. In the end, the relationship turns out badly for both. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

The Great Gatsby ends badly for the title character & his sidekick friend

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Gendelman was a Jewish American soldier captured in World War II; Kirschner a German pilot. Gendelman was imprisoned in a camp next to the family farm where Kirschner was recovering from a combat wound. Sneaking the prisoner through a hole in the fence, the men met to play chess and drink coffee. Kirschner eventually helped Gendelman escape. When the war ended, Gendelman helped Kirschner emigrate to the U.S. Gendelman said of the friendship, “We saw in each other an immediate connection, a brother.” Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Gendelman & Kirschner: Jewish American POW & German soldier unlikely friends

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

The Dassler brothers ran a German shoe company together for twenty-five years until they had a falling out, variously attributed to feuding wives or conflicting politics. In the late 1940s, they started separate companies. Adi founded Adidas and Rudi created Puma, rivals to this day. When the brothers died in the 1970s, they were buried at opposite ends of the cemetery. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Dassler Brothers, Adi & Rudi, feuded, founded separate companies: Adidas & Puma

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Clifford, the illustrated children’s book series by Norman Bridwell, proves that a dog is a child’s best friend. Book lovers young and old see the attachment between devoted Emily Elizabeth and exuberant Clifford grow as he develops from a tiny red puppy into an oversized pooch. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Clifford & Emily Elizabeth: A big red dog is a little girl’s best friend

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Comedian Hope entertained 11presidents but became friends only with Eisenhower. They hit it off in 1943 when Hope entertained the troops serving under then General Eisenhower in Algiers. When Eisenhower became President 10 years later, they continued to write and play golf. Their wives were also close. Of their wartime meeting, Hope said, “Meeting General Eisenhower in the midst of that deadly muddle was like a breath of fresh air. It quieted us, brought us back to our senses, and in every way paid us for the whole trip.” Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Eisenhower and Hope: The President and the comedian were friends in war and in peace

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Irish playwright Samuel Beckett moved to a commune in France in 1953, the same year he published Waiting for Godot. Beckett befriended a local carpenter, Boris Roussimoff, whose son would one day become wrestler André the Giant. When the boy, age 12, grew too big for the school bus (he was already 6 feet tall and weighed 250 lbs.), Beckett drove him in his pick-up truck. During their rides, they talked about cricket. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Beckett and Andre: The older literary and the younger physical giant were friends

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

The unnamed narrator and Reva in My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh are simultaneously supportive and destructive of each another. Personally, I found this novel to be an unconvincing snooze, but the portrait of toxic friendship rings true. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Narrator and Reva: A snoozy portrait of toxic friendship

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Evert and Navaratilova were tennis rivals who, over 16 years, competed against each other in 80 matches. But off the court, they became lasting friends. When the Czech-born Navaratilova began playing U.S. matches as a teen, Evert’s family looked out for her. Left alone together in the locker room after a match, the winner would comfort the loser. Throughout their lives, they continued to support each other during personal wins and losses. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Evert and Navartilova: On-court rivals; off-court friends

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

In Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel Little Women, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy are encouraging allies and jealous rivals, but always close friends. As they grow from girls into women, each pursuing their own destiny, these characters virtually define the meaning of “sisterhood.” Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Little Women: A classic novel about four sisters who are also best friends

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship