Porter, Melinda Camber 1953-2008 (Melinda Camber)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born September 18, 1953, in London, England; died of cancer, October 9, 2008. Journalist, painter, critic, novelist, librettist, translator, and author. When Porter worked as a cultural correspondent for the Times of London, she wrote about French society and culture. In the 1970s she frequented French literary and artistic circles, interviewing luminaries such as filmmaker François Truffaut and playwright Eugène Ionesco. She was described as a gifted interviewer who could engage her subjects in meaningful conversation with only the subtlest hint of active guidance. Porter moved to the United States in the early 1980s and brought her career with her. She was noted for the research that she devoted to her subjects. Prior to meeting a writer, she took the time to read his books, all of them; if the subject was a filmmaker, she prepared by watching his films. Eventually Porter's arts journalism gave way to her own creative artistry. She worked as a painter and poet, a librettist and lyricist, and a novelist. Her writings include Through Parisian Eyes: Reflections on Contemporary French Arts and Culture (1986), The Art of Love: Love Poems and Paintings (1993), and Visions on Film: Portraits of LeadingContemporary Film Directors (2008). Porter wrote novels such as Badlands (1996); she created the book and lyrics for operas such Journey to Benares (1994); and she was also the translator of a memoir by filmmaker Roger Vadim.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Times (London, England), October 20, 2008, p. 52.