page 286 "using the skills I had taught her": "using the skills I had taught her": This and subsequent Kirkpatrick Sale quotes are from E-mails to the author, May 16 and May 25, 2004. This and subsequent Kirkpatrick Sale quotes are from E-mails to the author, May 16 and May 25, 2004.
page 287 "[She is] a wonderful writer and troublemaker": "[She is] a wonderful writer and troublemaker": Donald Barthelme, quoted on the book jacket of Grace Paley, Donald Barthelme, quoted on the book jacket of Grace Paley, Later the Same Day Later the Same Day (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1985). (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1985).
page 287 "I was so interested in my friends": "I was so interested in my friends": Grace Paley quoted in Judith Arcana, Grace Paley quoted in Judith Arcana, Grace Paley"s Life Stories Grace Paley"s Life Stories (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1993), 92. (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1993), 92.
page 288 "He was in his life and work a citizen": "He was in his life and work a citizen": Grace Paley, Grace Paley, Just As I Thought Just As I Thought (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998), 235. (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998), 235.
page 288 "He was drinking": "He was drinking": Lynn Nesbit, in a conversation with the author, July 30, 2007. Lynn Nesbit, in a conversation with the author, July 30, 2007.
page 288 "free-hanging," "frivolous," and "gentle": "free-hanging," "frivolous," and "gentle": This and subsequent quotes from "The Balloon" are from Donald Barthelme, This and subsequent quotes from "The Balloon" are from Donald Barthelme, Unspeakable Practices, Unnatural Acts Unspeakable Practices, Unnatural Acts (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968), 1522. (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968), 1522.
Don"s balloon is perhaps the most charming and intriguing ekphrastic article since Keats"s Grecian urn. Ekphrasis is a verbal description of visual art, an attempt to convey one artistic experience in terms of another. An anomaly like this, placed unexpectedly in our path, has the power to "mislocate" us, releasing us from routine-one of art"s intended effects. Objects of contemplation also focus our intellect and emotion, and help us fully experience the immediate moment. In Western literature, Keats"s urn and Achilles" shield are the most famous examples of ekphrasis. Just as Don"s balloon nudges the edges of skysc.r.a.pers, he sets his story bouncing off literary cornerstones: the epic, Romanticism, and Poe"s Gothic tales, such as "The Balloon-Hoax." But ekphrasis has its enemies, as Don well knew. Writers "should not regard the limitations of painting"-mere depictions of objects-"as beauties in their own art," Gotthold Lessing wrote in Laoc.o.o.n Laoc.o.o.n (1766), consigning ekphrasis minor status, at best, in literature"s toolbox. By embracing ekphrasis, Don elevated a single, arguably secondary literary strategy to the very center of "The Balloon." Like Daumier, who pursued the rather odd practice of lithography while his peers whipped out battle paintings, Don-perversely and obstinately-appears to tinker with trifles. But if we pay heed, we begin to see the usefulness of the "mere," the marginal, and the unexpected as a way of refreshing art, looking askance, viewing things anew. (1766), consigning ekphrasis minor status, at best, in literature"s toolbox. By embracing ekphrasis, Don elevated a single, arguably secondary literary strategy to the very center of "The Balloon." Like Daumier, who pursued the rather odd practice of lithography while his peers whipped out battle paintings, Don-perversely and obstinately-appears to tinker with trifles. But if we pay heed, we begin to see the usefulness of the "mere," the marginal, and the unexpected as a way of refreshing art, looking askance, viewing things anew.
page 289 "greasy press of people": "greasy press of people": T. J. Clark, T. J. Clark, The Painting of Modern Life The Painting of Modern Life (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1984), 6465. (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1984), 6465.
page 289 "traveler who [had] arrived yesterday": "traveler who [had] arrived yesterday": Nadar, "Le Dessus et le dessous de Paris," in Nadar, "Le Dessus et le dessous de Paris," in Paris Guide Paris Guide, ed. Corrine Verdet (Paris: Editions La Decouverte, 1983), 171172.
page 290 "The crush of spectators": "The crush of spectators": Clark, Clark, The Painting of Modern Life The Painting of Modern Life, 83.
page 290 "Observations" about the painting: "Observations" about the painting: This and subsequent quotes about This and subsequent quotes about Olympia Olympia are cited in ibid., 83, 94, 118. are cited in ibid., 83, 94, 118.
page 291 an object "coming over the trees" an object "coming over the trees" to to "solitary": "solitary": Virginia Woolf, Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway Mrs. Dalloway (1925; reprints, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanavich, 1953), 2933. (1925; reprints, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanavich, 1953), 2933.
page 291 "which is good news for all hands": "which is good news for all hands": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, January 28, 1966, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, January 28, 1966, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 291 "I believe that Mr. Barthelme is far and away the most intelligent": "I believe that Mr. Barthelme is far and away the most intelligent": Roger Angell, letter to the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, undated (probably fall 1965), Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, undated (probably fall 1965), Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 292 "BABY BOW YEE": "BABY BOW YEE": Donald Barthelme, Donald Barthelme, Snow White Snow White (New York: Atheneum, 1967), 18. (New York: Atheneum, 1967), 18.
page 292 "an older Bob Dylan"; "I read a lot of Albert Camus": "an older Bob Dylan"; "I read a lot of Albert Camus": M. G. Stephens, "Conrad"s List," M. G. Stephens, "Conrad"s List," Boston Review Boston Review, December 2003/January 2004; posted at www.bostonreview.net/BR28.6/stephens.html.
page 292 "Perhaps there are certain ages": "Perhaps there are certain ages": Susan Sontag, Susan Sontag, Against Interpretation Against Interpretation (New York: Dell, 1966), 50. (New York: Dell, 1966), 50.
page 292 "In the midst of so much that is true": "In the midst of so much that is true": Barthelme, Barthelme, Snow White Snow White, 62.
page 293 "The thought of this immense work": "The thought of this immense work": ibid., 11. ibid., 11.
page 293 "We were so unconscious, so unaware of that war": "We were so unconscious, so unaware of that war": Grace Paley quoted in Arcana, Grace Paley quoted in Arcana, Grace Paley"s Life Stories Grace Paley"s Life Stories, 60.
page 293 "This was an exciting day around here": "This was an exciting day around here": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, October 26, 1966, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, October 26, 1966, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 293 "Here"s that check": "Here"s that check": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, December 8, 1966, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, December 8, 1966, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 293 "correct poornesses in the storyline": "correct poornesses in the storyline": Donald Barthelme, letter to Roger Angell, undated (December 1965), Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Donald Barthelme, letter to Roger Angell, undated (December 1965), Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 293 "a man about whom nothing is known": "a man about whom nothing is known": This and subsequent quotes from the novel are from Barthelme, This and subsequent quotes from the novel are from Barthelme, Snow White Snow White, 13, 19, 31, 178181.
page 294 "his own love life" "his own love life" to to "Years later, one of these friends": "Years later, one of these friends": Helen Moore Barthelme, Helen Moore Barthelme, Donald Barthelme: The Genesis of a Cool Sound Donald Barthelme: The Genesis of a Cool Sound (College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 2001), 164165. (College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 2001), 164165.
page 294 "the beauty of... a painting by Jasper Johns"; "feeling (or sensation)": "the beauty of... a painting by Jasper Johns"; "feeling (or sensation)": Sontag, Sontag, Against Interpretation Against Interpretation, 293.
page 294 "This alb.u.m is a whole world": "This alb.u.m is a whole world": See "Talk of the Town," See "Talk of the Town," The New Yorker The New Yorker, June 24, 1967, 2223.
page 294 "transformation of [its] function"; "Art today is a new kind of instrument": "transformation of [its] function"; "Art today is a new kind of instrument": Sontag, Sontag, Against Interpretation Against Interpretation, 293.
page 295 "It"s not my favorite book": "It"s not my favorite book": Donald Barthelme. Jo Brans, " "Embracing the World," in Donald Barthelme. Jo Brans, " "Embracing the World," in Not-Knowing: The Essays and Interviews Not-Knowing: The Essays and Interviews, ed. Kim Herzinger (New York: Random House, 1997), 296.
pages 295296 "Writing a novel consists of failing, for me"; [T]he story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves"; "[A]ll of [the] people in this book": "Writing a novel consists of failing, for me"; [T]he story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves"; "[A]ll of [the] people in this book": "Interview with Charles Ruas and Judith Sherman, 1975," in "Interview with Charles Ruas and Judith Sherman, 1975," in Not-Knowing: The Essays and Interviews Not-Knowing: The Essays and Interviews, ed. Herzinger, 224, 255257.
33. Drowning page 298 "splendid writer": "splendid writer": Jack Kroll, "Wising Up," Jack Kroll, "Wising Up," Newsweek Newsweek, May 22, 1967, 106.
page 298 "the most perversely gifted writer": "the most perversely gifted writer": Webster Schott, "A Sludge-Pump Novel: Fractured Fiction," Webster Schott, "A Sludge-Pump Novel: Fractured Fiction," Life Life, May 26, 1967, 6.
page 298 "Donald Barthelme"s work creates the impression": "Donald Barthelme"s work creates the impression": Unsigned article, "Come Back, Brothers Grimm," Unsigned article, "Come Back, Brothers Grimm," Time Time, May 26, 1967, 96.
page 299 "handful of American writers": "handful of American writers": Richard Gilman, "Barthelme"s Fairy Tale," Richard Gilman, "Barthelme"s Fairy Tale," The New Republic The New Republic, June 3, 1967, 30.
page 299 "n.i.g.g.ardly advertising campaign"; "demanded an extravagant advance": "n.i.g.g.ardly advertising campaign"; "demanded an extravagant advance": Herman Gollob, Herman Gollob, Me and Shakespeare: Adventures with the Bard Me and Shakespeare: Adventures with the Bard (New York: Doubleday, 2002), 170. (New York: Doubleday, 2002), 170.
page 299 "[I]t seems to me a frightful waste": "[I]t seems to me a frightful waste": Hubert Ryan, letter to Roger Angell, December 2, 1968, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Hubert Ryan, letter to Roger Angell, December 2, 1968, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 299 "I told Mr. Barthelme about your letter": "I told Mr. Barthelme about your letter": Roger Angell, letter to Hubert Ryan, January 3, 1969, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Hubert Ryan, January 3, 1969, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 300 "garbage"; "The New Nonsense or Hysteria School": "garbage"; "The New Nonsense or Hysteria School": Scott Elledge, Scott Elledge, E. B. White: A Biography E. B. White: A Biography (New York: W. W. Norton, 1984), 343344. (New York: W. W. Norton, 1984), 343344.
page 300 "It was tempestuous between them": "It was tempestuous between them": Anne Barthelme, in a conversation with the author, June 19, 2004. Anne Barthelme, in a conversation with the author, June 19, 2004.
page 300 "I"ll write a real letter": "I"ll write a real letter": Donald Barthelme, letter to Roger Angell, undated (1967), Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Donald Barthelme, letter to Roger Angell, undated (1967), Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 300 " "I"m thinking of writing a long long story": Donald Barthelme, letter to Roger Angell, June 19, 1967, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 300 "fat and happy"; "[Here"s a] check": "fat and happy"; "[Here"s a] check": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, June 20, 1967, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, June 20, 1967, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
pages 300301 "I wish he had been my father": "I wish he had been my father": Helen Moore Barthelme, Helen Moore Barthelme, Donald Barthelme Donald Barthelme, 172.
page 301 "I feel that I"m writing...piecemeal": "I feel that I"m writing...piecemeal": Donald Barthelme, letter to Roger Angell, undated (1968), Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Donald Barthelme, letter to Roger Angell, undated (1968), Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 301 "wonderful"; "infinitely more effective"; "makes [its] powerful point": "wonderful"; "infinitely more effective"; "makes [its] powerful point": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, March 15, 1967, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, March 15, 1967, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 301 "Our group is against the war": "Our group is against the war": Donald Barthelme, Donald Barthelme, Unspeakable Practices, Unnatural Acts Unspeakable Practices, Unnatural Acts (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968), 51. (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968), 51.
page 301 "Endings are elusive" "Endings are elusive" to to "like a large blaring building": "like a large blaring building": Barthelme, ibid., 69. Barthelme, ibid., 69.
page 301 "Buy yourself a Trova toe"; "Incidentally, you are three legs up": "Buy yourself a Trova toe"; "Incidentally, you are three legs up": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, January 25, 1967, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, January 25, 1967, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 301 "While this may not be one of your very best stories": "While this may not be one of your very best stories": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, February 28, 1968, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, February 28, 1968, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 301 "I a.s.sume the Arab-Israeli war": "I a.s.sume the Arab-Israeli war": Donald Barthelme, letter to Roger Angell, June 19, 1967, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Donald Barthelme, letter to Roger Angell, June 19, 1967, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 302 "He is neither abrupt": "He is neither abrupt": This and subsequent quotes from "Robert Kennedy Saved from Drowning" are from Barthelme, This and subsequent quotes from "Robert Kennedy Saved from Drowning" are from Barthelme, Unspeakable Practices, Unnatural Acts Unspeakable Practices, Unnatural Acts, 3547.
page 302 "impotent and frustrated"; "upon which others projected their hopes and fears": "impotent and frustrated"; "upon which others projected their hopes and fears": Evan Thomas, Evan Thomas, Robert Kennedy: His Life Robert Kennedy: His Life (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000), 309, 343344. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000), 309, 343344.
page 302 "I never met Robert Kennedy": "I never met Robert Kennedy": Donald Barthelme, letter to Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., July 16, 1977, cited in Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Donald Barthelme, letter to Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., July 16, 1977, cited in Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Robert Kennedy and His Times Robert Kennedy and His Times (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1978), 816. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1978), 816.
page 303 "What bothers [Shawn]": "What bothers [Shawn]": William Maxwell, letter to Roger Angell, August 8, 1967, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. William Maxwell, letter to Roger Angell, August 8, 1967, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 303 "I am afraid we are turning [this story] down": "I am afraid we are turning [this story] down": Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, August 30, 1967, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, August 30, 1967, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 304 "Barthelme"s reputation was just getting underway" "Barthelme"s reputation was just getting underway" to to "made my mind feel like it had been awakened": "made my mind feel like it had been awakened": Ted Solotaroff, "Don Barthelme," Ted Solotaroff, "Don Barthelme," Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Art Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Art, vol. 4, no. 1 (1991): 169171.
page 304 "I cannot account for [the] impulse": "I cannot account for [the] impulse": Donald Barthelme, letter to Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., cited in Schlesinger, Donald Barthelme, letter to Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., cited in Schlesinger, Robert Kennedy and His Times Robert Kennedy and His Times, 816.
page 304 Jack Newfield: The Writer in Society: Donald Barthelme Jack Newfield: The Writer in Society: Donald Barthelme (Houston: KUHT-TV, 1984). (Houston: KUHT-TV, 1984).
page 305 He wanted Robbins"s full attention: He wanted Robbins"s full attention: Patrick Samway, S. J., Patrick Samway, S. J., Walker Percy: A Life Walker Percy: A Life (Chicago: Loyola Press, 1999), 267. (Chicago: Loyola Press, 1999), 267.
page 305 "gentleman publisher": "gentleman publisher": This and subsequent Roger Straus quotes are from Ian Parker, "s...o...b..at," This and subsequent Roger Straus quotes are from Ian Parker, "s...o...b..at," The New Yorker The New Yorker, April 8, 2002, 5565.
page 306 "Robbins was a man": "Robbins was a man": Michael Korda, Michael Korda, Another Life Another Life (New York: Dell, 2000), 368369. (New York: Dell, 2000), 368369.
page 306 "Henry was hot-headed": "Henry was hot-headed": Lynn Nesbit, in a conversation with the author, August 14, 2007. Lynn Nesbit, in a conversation with the author, August 14, 2007.
page 306 "I remember his actual hurt and outrage": "I remember his actual hurt and outrage": Joan Didion, Joan Didion, After Henry After Henry (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992), 19. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992), 19.
page 306 "I"m not mad at you"; "End of quarrel": "I"m not mad at you"; "End of quarrel": Gollob, Gollob, Me and Shakespeare Me and Shakespeare, 171.
page 306 "Don was startled to hear my voice" "Don was startled to hear my voice" to to "In fact, I later realized": "In fact, I later realized": Helen Moore Barthelme, Helen Moore Barthelme, Donald Barthelme Donald Barthelme, 160161.
page 306 In February 1968: In February 1968: In the previous year, many artists and writers in New York had mobilized against the war. In the In the previous year, many artists and writers in New York had mobilized against the war. In the New York Times New York Times of January 29, 1967, a full-page ad announced the "[W]eek of the Angry Arts Against the War in Vietnam." Below the heading, smaller print explained that the "artists of New York [would] speak through their...work [this week] to dissociate themselves from U.S. policy." Scheduled events included a jazz concert "dedicated to draft-age boys"; "16-mm Earrings," a "Dance Protest" featuring Meredith Monk; "Broadway Dissents" by Alan Alda, Ruby Dee, and John Henry Faulk; shows by folk-rockers, filmmakers, and photographers; and literary readings by Grace Paley, Susan Sontag, and others. Among the Angry Arts sponsors, said the ad, were Philip Roth, Allen Ginsberg, and Donald Barthelme. The Week of the Angry Arts was the largest cultural protest in America since the antiwar parades of the 1940s. Poets moved in caravans across Manhattan, shouting their outraged lyrics; postering brigades plastered buildings with copies of of January 29, 1967, a full-page ad announced the "[W]eek of the Angry Arts Against the War in Vietnam." Below the heading, smaller print explained that the "artists of New York [would] speak through their...work [this week] to dissociate themselves from U.S. policy." Scheduled events included a jazz concert "dedicated to draft-age boys"; "16-mm Earrings," a "Dance Protest" featuring Meredith Monk; "Broadway Dissents" by Alan Alda, Ruby Dee, and John Henry Faulk; shows by folk-rockers, filmmakers, and photographers; and literary readings by Grace Paley, Susan Sontag, and others. Among the Angry Arts sponsors, said the ad, were Philip Roth, Allen Ginsberg, and Donald Barthelme. The Week of the Angry Arts was the largest cultural protest in America since the antiwar parades of the 1940s. Poets moved in caravans across Manhattan, shouting their outraged lyrics; postering brigades plastered buildings with copies of Guernica- Guernica- like lithographs; and a conductorless performance of Beethoven"s like lithographs; and a conductorless performance of Beethoven"s Eroica Eroica was held at Town Hall to "symbolize the individual"s responsibility for the brutality in Vietnam." Among the week"s central events was one organized by Dore Ashton and Max Kozloff at New York University"s Loeb Student Center to exhibit the was held at Town Hall to "symbolize the individual"s responsibility for the brutality in Vietnam." Among the week"s central events was one organized by Dore Ashton and Max Kozloff at New York University"s Loeb Student Center to exhibit the Collage of Indignation Collage of Indignation. One hundred and fifty artists created this piece over a five-day period. Its contents included a coil of barbed wire, a draft card, and a rusty metal slab engraved with the words "Johnson Is a Murderer."
page 307 "And let me speak to the yet unknowing world": "And let me speak to the yet unknowing world": William Shakespeare, William Shakespeare, Hamlet Hamlet (New York: Dover, 1992), 119. (New York: Dover, 1992), 119.
page 307 "an unspeakable and unnatural thing"; "You mean it made you feel guilty?": "an unspeakable and unnatural thing"; "You mean it made you feel guilty?": Gollob, Gollob, Me and Shakespeare Me and Shakespeare, 171.
page 307 "Kafka might well be": "Kafka might well be": Anatole Broyard, "Metaphors for Madnesses," Anatole Broyard, "Metaphors for Madnesses," New York Times Book Review New York Times Book Review, May 12, 1968, 7.
page 307 "It is impossible to overpraise": "It is impossible to overpraise": William Ga.s.s, "The Leading Edge of the Trash Phenomenon," William Ga.s.s, "The Leading Edge of the Trash Phenomenon," The New York Review of Books The New York Review of Books, April 25, 1968, 6.
page 307 "coa.r.s.ening and souring": "coa.r.s.ening and souring": Hilary Corke, "Whistling in a Gale," Hilary Corke, "Whistling in a Gale," The New Republic The New Republic, June 1, 1968, 35.
page 308 "permanent contribution to our literature": "permanent contribution to our literature": Alan Trachtenberg, "Mailer on the Steps of the Pentagon," Alan Trachtenberg, "Mailer on the Steps of the Pentagon," The Nation The Nation, May 27, 1968, 701.
page 308 "Donald Barthelme [is] relentlessly": "Donald Barthelme [is] relentlessly": Calvin Bedient," No Pretense to Coherency," Calvin Bedient," No Pretense to Coherency," The Nation The Nation, May 27, 1968, 702703.
page 308 "Donald Barthelme has accomplished the work": "Donald Barthelme has accomplished the work": Earl Shorris, "Donald Barthelme"s Ill.u.s.trated Wordy-Gurdy," Earl Shorris, "Donald Barthelme"s Ill.u.s.trated Wordy-Gurdy," Harper"s Harper"s, January 1973, 92.
page 308 "Here is a writer one wishes": "Here is a writer one wishes": Jack Kroll, "The Comanches Are Here," Jack Kroll, "The Comanches Are Here," Newsweek Newsweek, May 6, 1968, 112.
34. The Politics of Exhaustion page 309 "disputatious student meeting": "disputatious student meeting": Genet [Janet Flanner], "Letter from Paris," Genet [Janet Flanner], "Letter from Paris," The New Yorker The New Yorker, May 25, 1968, 77.
page 309 slogans appeared; "an ever-growing bubble": slogans appeared; "an ever-growing bubble": Angelo Quattrocchi and Tom Nairn, Angelo Quattrocchi and Tom Nairn, The Beginning of the End The Beginning of the End (1968; reprint, London: Verso Books, 1998), 17. (1968; reprint, London: Verso Books, 1998), 17.
page 310 tear gas wafting through the windows: tear gas wafting through the windows: Mavis Gallant, "Reflections, the Events in May: A Paris Notebook," Mavis Gallant, "Reflections, the Events in May: A Paris Notebook," The New Yorker The New Yorker, September 14, 1968, 5859.
page 310 " "has been the decisive week": Genet [Janet Flanner], "Letter from Paris, " Genet [Janet Flanner], "Letter from Paris, "The New Yorker, June 2, 1968,. page 310 "crack of authority": "crack of authority": This and subsequent quotes from "The Policemen"s Ball" are from Donald Barthelme, This and subsequent quotes from "The Policemen"s Ball" are from Donald Barthelme, Sixty Stories Sixty Stories (New York: Putnam, 1981), 175177. (New York: Putnam, 1981), 175177.
page 310 people"s "everyday" lives: people"s "everyday" lives: See Henri Lefebvre, See Henri Lefebvre, Critique of Everyday Life Critique of Everyday Life, trans. John Moore (London: Verso Books, 1991), xx. Don admitted suffering from an "American lack-of-languages," though he taught himself some French while stationed with the army in Korea. Lefebvre"s book did not appear in English until 1991, but translated excerpts were widely available before that, as were parts of the Situationist International"s writings.
page 311 As Ronnie Butler wrote: As Ronnie Butler wrote: Ronnie Butler, Ronnie Butler, Balzac and the French Revolution Balzac and the French Revolution (London: Crown Helm, 1983), 242248. (London: Crown Helm, 1983), 242248.
page 311 "Mother, have you noticed": "Mother, have you noticed": This and subsequent quotes from "Eugenie Grandet" are from Barthelme, This and subsequent quotes from "Eugenie Grandet" are from Barthelme, Sixty Stories Sixty Stories, 236242.
page 311 "grossly misperceived": "grossly misperceived": Donald Barthelme, Donald Barthelme, Forty Stories Forty Stories (New York: Putnam, 1987), 211. (New York: Putnam, 1987), 211.
page 311 "Vagabonds [are] always ready": "Vagabonds [are] always ready": Theodore Homburg, Theodore Homburg, Etudes sur la Vagabondage Etudes sur la Vagabondage (Paris: Forestier, 1880), 243. (Paris: Forestier, 1880), 243.
page 312 "Rimbaud"s...resistance to work": "Rimbaud"s...resistance to work": Kristin Ross, Kristin Ross, The Emergence of Social s.p.a.ce: Rimbaud and the Paris Commune The Emergence of Social s.p.a.ce: Rimbaud and the Paris Commune (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1988), 20, 59. (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1988), 20, 59.
page 312 a group of dissident intellectuals called the Situationist International: a group of dissident intellectuals called the Situationist International: The group called themselves, first, the Lettrists, then the Situationist International. On principle, they refused steady jobs and sought to turn daily life into a "mobile s.p.a.ce of play." From the mid-1950s until the 1970s, they published a series of newsletters- The group called themselves, first, the Lettrists, then the Situationist International. On principle, they refused steady jobs and sought to turn daily life into a "mobile s.p.a.ce of play." From the mid-1950s until the 1970s, they published a series of newsletters-Potlatch, Situationist International-in which they outlined their views of the "spectacle" and offered strategies for puncturing its facade. The spectacle was the vision created by the combined apparatus of the media, schools, economics, and urban planning, which, hand in hand with governments, allowed producers of commercial products to control citizen"s desires. In The Society of the Spectacle The Society of the Spectacle, published in 1967, Guy Debord laid out the Situationist argument that life no longer holds "free choices" and "is subject, no longer to the natural order, but to a pseudo-nature constructed by means of alienated labor." The individual must resist this rigid ordering, must seek chance perspectives, must pursue what Rimbaud called the "rational disordering of all the senses."
Debord worked with Henri Lefebvre on an appreciation of the 1871 Paris Commune. In a coauth.o.r.ed article, they praised the communards for reseizing Paris after the corrosive effects of Haussmannization. Debord and Lefebvre said that everyday life-what they also called "social s.p.a.ce"-fell firmly under capital"s control during the nineteenth century in Europe, when workers migrated to urban areas, and city planners arranged work centers and living quarters in ways that made these areas easy to manage. This involved eliminating chance perspectives, turning the avenues into straight lines, and, above all, separating industrial labor and domesticity, fracturing communities to make them dependent on centralized government.
Lefebvre and the Situationists proposed reorganizing social s.p.a.ce as a way of resisting the spectacle: taking trips "with no destination, diverted arbitrarily," breaking free "from routes imposed" by traffic patterns, zoning laws, work routines. Debord saw the city as a carnival, loosed from "functionalism" and the "immediately useful"-to him, the urban environment was a "terrain of partic.i.p.atory games." When function falls away, and people find beauty in the everyday, the spectacle can be shaken. This was the vision, pa.s.sed from Lefebvre to the Situationist International, that erupted in the streets of Paris in May 1968. As Harold Rosenberg put it, in May 1968 a "trumpet blast" of hope based in imagination and "aroused desire" broke the "power trance." Art tumbled into the streets.
Cited above: "free choices"; "is subject no longer": "free choices"; "is subject no longer": Guy Debord, Guy Debord, The Society of the Spectacle The Society of the Spectacle, trans. Donald Nicholson-Smith (1967; reprint, New York: Zone Books, 1994), 110111; taking trips "with no destination": taking trips "with no destination": The ideas are Guy Debord"s, but the wording here is from Michele Bernstein, "Derive by the Mile" in The ideas are Guy Debord"s, but the wording here is from Michele Bernstein, "Derive by the Mile" in Potlatch Potlatch 9 (August 31, 1954): 11; 9 (August 31, 1954): 11; a "trumpet blast" of "hope": a "trumpet blast" of "hope": Harold Rosenberg, Harold Rosenberg, The De-Definition of Art The De-Definition of Art (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1972), 53. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1972), 53.
page 312 "Sometimes I wish we were a purely literary magazine": "Sometimes I wish we were a purely literary magazine": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, May 7, 1968, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, May 7, 1968, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 312 "explanatory note"; "I thought you might want to look at it again": "explanatory note"; "I thought you might want to look at it again": Donald Barthelme, letter to Roger Angell, undated (May 1968), Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Donald Barthelme, letter to Roger Angell, undated (May 1968), Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
35. City Life (I) page 314 "My father made a wonderful toy": "My father made a wonderful toy": This and subsequent Anne Barthelme quotes are from a conversation with the author, June 19, 2004. This and subsequent Anne Barthelme quotes are from a conversation with the author, June 19, 2004.
page 315 "used to howl at the moon": "used to howl at the moon": See "Moondog Biography," posted at See "Moondog Biography," posted at www.geocities.com/moondogmadness/biography.html.
page 315 "This city!": "This city!": This and subsequent quotes from early drafts of "City Life" are from Donald Barthelme, "City Life," drafts, Special Collections and Archives, University of Houston Libraries. This and subsequent quotes from early drafts of "City Life" are from Donald Barthelme, "City Life," drafts, Special Collections and Archives, University of Houston Libraries.
page 315 one of the few places in the city that offered a view of the sunset: one of the few places in the city that offered a view of the sunset: Noted in Grace Paley, "Life and Literature in a City That Speaks Volumes," Noted in Grace Paley, "Life and Literature in a City That Speaks Volumes," New York Times Book Review New York Times Book Review, September 25, 1998, back page.
page 316 "new image"; "I wanted the dog"s face": "new image"; "I wanted the dog"s face": Donald Barthelme, Donald Barthelme, Sixty Stories Sixty Stories (New York: Putnam, 1981), 166167. (New York: Putnam, 1981), 166167.
page 316 On a Monday afternoon in early June 1968: On a Monday afternoon in early June 1968: For more on the Andy Warhol shooting, see Ultra Violet [Isabella Collin Dufresne], For more on the Andy Warhol shooting, see Ultra Violet [Isabella Collin Dufresne], Famous for Fifteen Minutes: My Years with Andy Warhol Famous for Fifteen Minutes: My Years with Andy Warhol (San Diego and New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1988), 168, 179. (San Diego and New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1988), 168, 179.
page 316 "[M]aleness is a deficiency disease": "[M]aleness is a deficiency disease": Valerie Solanas, Valerie Solanas, Sc.u.m Manifesto Sc.u.m Manifesto (London, Verso, 2004), 3536, 66. (London, Verso, 2004), 3536, 66.
page 316 "[T]he kid...want[s] Daddy"s approval": "[T]he kid...want[s] Daddy"s approval": ibid., 4344. ibid., 4344.
page 316 "dignity and hysteria": "dignity and hysteria": Ernest Trova quoted in "The Uses of Ingenuity," Ernest Trova quoted in "The Uses of Ingenuity," Time Time, January 6, 1967, 76.