page 212 "no matter how much he drank": "no matter how much he drank": ibid., 117. ibid., 117.
page 212 "darkening, becoming a sloppy drunk": "darkening, becoming a sloppy drunk": Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan, Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan, De Kooning: An American Master De Kooning: An American Master (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004), 432. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004), 432.
page 213 "She absolutely insisted on being the center of attention": "She absolutely insisted on being the center of attention": Hall, Hall, Elaine and Bill Elaine and Bill, 181.
page 213 Pollock "would glower into his drink": Pollock "would glower into his drink": Stevens and Swan, Stevens and Swan, De Kooning De Kooning, 364.
page 213 "that tampon painter": "that tampon painter": ibid., 345. ibid., 345.
page 213 "together with Rosenberg"s habit": "together with Rosenberg"s habit": ibid., 365. ibid., 365.
page 214 "loony command center": "loony command center": Hall, Hall, Elaine and Bill Elaine and Bill, 179.
page 214 "acting like a stallion": "acting like a stallion": ibid., 199. ibid., 199.
page 214 "seemed to flaunt with renewed vigor": "seemed to flaunt with renewed vigor": ibid., 187. ibid., 187.
page 214 "She was this kind of daredevil": "She was this kind of daredevil": ibid., 188, 190191. ibid., 188, 190191.
page 214 "Despite the immediacy and the vivacity": "Despite the immediacy and the vivacity": John Ashbery quoted in Stevens and Swan, John Ashbery quoted in Stevens and Swan, De Kooning De Kooning, 577.
page 214 "Just take care of the luxuries": "Just take care of the luxuries": Hall, Hall, Elaine and Bill Elaine and Bill, 189.
25. Up, Aloft in the Air page 216 "[T]he fact is that I want to live alone"; "remain apart for now": "[T]he fact is that I want to live alone"; "remain apart for now": 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), 144. (College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 2001), 144.
page 216 Kenneth Koch "came over"; Jack Kroll: Kenneth Koch "came over"; Jack Kroll: ibid., 144145. ibid., 144145.
page 217 "[N]o other stories have been sold": "[N]o other stories have been sold": ibid., 144. ibid., 144.
page 217 "further extends the line of attack": "further extends the line of attack": ibid., 147. ibid., 147.
page 217 "easy...to approach": "easy...to approach": Michael Korda, Michael Korda, Another Life Another Life (New York: Dell, 2000), 174. (New York: Dell, 2000), 174.
page 217 "Donald and I had instant chemistry": "Donald and I had instant chemistry": Lynn Nesbit, in a conversation with the author, July 30, 2007. Lynn Nesbit, in a conversation with the author, July 30, 2007.
page 217 "They"d go to the beach": "They"d go to the beach": Maggie Maranto, in an E-mail to the author, June 12, 2004. Maggie Maranto, in an E-mail to the author, June 12, 2004.
page 217 "a really courageous book publisher"; "swaggering"; "part of Don"s posture": "a really courageous book publisher"; "swaggering"; "part of Don"s posture": Helen Moore Barthelme, Helen Moore Barthelme, Donald Barthelme Donald Barthelme, 147.
page 218 "[Robert] Bly reacted so violently": "[Robert] Bly reacted so violently": ibid., 145. ibid., 145.
page 218 "uneasy collection"; "brief chapters"; "fantastically poor": "uneasy collection"; "brief chapters"; "fantastically poor": ibid., 145, 148. ibid., 145, 148.
page 218 "In 1963, I made new friends": "In 1963, I made new friends": This and subsequent Helen Barthelme quotes in this chapter, as well as Don"s comments relative to them, are from Helen Moore Barthelme, This and subsequent Helen Barthelme quotes in this chapter, as well as Don"s comments relative to them, are from Helen Moore Barthelme, Donald Barthelme Donald Barthelme, 141151.
page 219 "Tell [the pilots]": "Tell [the pilots]": Donald Barthelme, Donald Barthelme, Come Back, Dr. Caligari Come Back, Dr. Caligari (Boston: Little, Brown, 1964), 138. (Boston: Little, Brown, 1964), 138.
page 219 "Helen would have hung on forever": "Helen would have hung on forever": Herman Gollob, in a conversation with the author, April 19, 2007. Herman Gollob, in a conversation with the author, April 19, 2007.
page 220 "these nuts that call[ed] themselves artists": "these nuts that call[ed] themselves artists": Edmund T. Delaney, Edmund T. Delaney, New York"s Greenwich Village New York"s Greenwich Village (Barre, Ma.s.sachusetts: Barre Publishers, 1968), 104. (Barre, Ma.s.sachusetts: Barre Publishers, 1968), 104.
pages 220221 "frequent contact with a wide circle of people"; "humble": "frequent contact with a wide circle of people"; "humble": Jane Jacobs, Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961; reprint, New York: Modern American Library, 1993), 89, 156. (1961; reprint, New York: Modern American Library, 1993), 89, 156.
page 221 "[O]nce in a while when I was low on cash": "[O]nce in a while when I was low on cash": Donald Barthelme, "Interview with Larry McCaffery, 1980," in Donald Barthelme, "Interview with Larry McCaffery, 1980," in Not-Knowing: The Essays and Interviews Not-Knowing: The Essays and Interviews, ed. Kim Herzinger (New York: Random House, 1997), 264.
page 221 "Ford Foundation overcoat"; "Guggenheim-applicant feeling": "Ford Foundation overcoat"; "Guggenheim-applicant feeling": Michael Houston [Donald Barthelme], "The Ontological Basis of Two," Michael Houston [Donald Barthelme], "The Ontological Basis of Two," Cavalier Cavalier, June 1963, 22.
page 221 "[O]nce in a while when I was low on cash": "[O]nce in a while when I was low on cash": Donald Barthelme, "Interview with Larry McCaffery, 1980," in Donald Barthelme, "Interview with Larry McCaffery, 1980," in Not-Knowing: The Essays and Interviews Not-Knowing: The Essays and Interviews, ed. Kim Herzinger (New York: Random House, 1997), 264.
page 221 "Ford Foundation overcoat"; "Guggenheim-applicant feeling": "Ford Foundation overcoat"; "Guggenheim-applicant feeling": Michael Houston [Donald Barthelme], "The Ontological Basis of Two," Michael Houston [Donald Barthelme], "The Ontological Basis of Two," Cavalier Cavalier, June 1963, 22.
26. For I"m the Boy page 222 Don was not happy with the issue: Don was not happy with the issue: One has the impression that he had chosen a kind of self-exile in New York to remake himself, and that his new magazine work wound up being too much like the old editing he had done. This is not, of course, the only way to view his move to Manhattan (he had moved for excitement and for the sake of his career). But selfbanishment appealed to him on some level-recall his remark that a therapist had told him to stay out of town until he was satisfied with his achievements. Though he maintained ties with his family, these bonds were easier to cope with from a distance as he pursued his independence. His strongest literary models at the time, Joyce, Eliot, and Beckett, had remade themselves far from their mother countries. "The feeling of being out of date, of having been born into too late an epoch, or of surviving unnaturally beyond one"s term, is all over Eliot"s early poetry," says the novelist J. M. Coetzee. This feeling of displacement, which Don shared, is part of what drew him to Eliot in the first place. It is a common feeling among provincials, Coetzee says: They "blame their [home] environment for not living up to art," for falling short of the ideals imposed on, but denied, them by authority, so they seek the "high culture of the metropolis...[and] powerful experiences which cannot, however, be embedded in their lives in any obvious way." (See J. M. Coetzee, One has the impression that he had chosen a kind of self-exile in New York to remake himself, and that his new magazine work wound up being too much like the old editing he had done. This is not, of course, the only way to view his move to Manhattan (he had moved for excitement and for the sake of his career). But selfbanishment appealed to him on some level-recall his remark that a therapist had told him to stay out of town until he was satisfied with his achievements. Though he maintained ties with his family, these bonds were easier to cope with from a distance as he pursued his independence. His strongest literary models at the time, Joyce, Eliot, and Beckett, had remade themselves far from their mother countries. "The feeling of being out of date, of having been born into too late an epoch, or of surviving unnaturally beyond one"s term, is all over Eliot"s early poetry," says the novelist J. M. Coetzee. This feeling of displacement, which Don shared, is part of what drew him to Eliot in the first place. It is a common feeling among provincials, Coetzee says: They "blame their [home] environment for not living up to art," for falling short of the ideals imposed on, but denied, them by authority, so they seek the "high culture of the metropolis...[and] powerful experiences which cannot, however, be embedded in their lives in any obvious way." (See J. M. Coetzee, Stranger Sh.o.r.es: Literary Essays, 19861999 Stranger Sh.o.r.es: Literary Essays, 19861999 [New York: Viking Penguin, 2001], 67.) [New York: Viking Penguin, 2001], 67.) Don"s long-standing ambition to get to New York (and his willingness to sacrifice his marriage to stay there) is part and parcel of the "Ivy League" dress he adopted early on (according to Herman Gollob) and the careful speaking style he "willed" himself into. He spoke, as he wrote, aphoristically-sometimes, like Eliot, with a faintly British-sounding accent (for example, he stressed the first, rather than the second, syllable of the word pejorative; pejorative; he p.r.o.nounced the name Beethoven " he p.r.o.nounced the name Beethoven "Bet-of-en"). Don remade himself in an attempt to overcome the disorientation forced on him by Houston"s provincialism and his father"s impossible modernism (impossible because it belonged to another era and because it belonged to his father). The elder Barthelme inhabited Don"s thinking-thus, the simultaneous yearning for tradition and a hunger for the new: embracing and and escaping the old man. That it was vain to try to erase his confused feelings is clear in the persistence of mislocation in Don"s fiction, even in his last novel, escaping the old man. That it was vain to try to erase his confused feelings is clear in the persistence of mislocation in Don"s fiction, even in his last novel, The King The King, in which King Arthur survives "unnaturally beyond [his] term."
page 222 "certain aspects of [an] artist"s work": "certain aspects of [an] artist"s work": Thomas B. Hess, "Ideas in Search of Words," Thomas B. Hess, "Ideas in Search of Words," Location Location 1, no. 1 (1963): 67. 1, no. 1 (1963): 67.
page 222 " "At last there is a place" "; "For twenty years poetry and fiction": " "At last there is a place" "; "For twenty years poetry and fiction": Harold Rosenberg, "The Stockade Syndrome," Harold Rosenberg, "The Stockade Syndrome," Location Location 1, no. 1 (1963): 45. 1, no. 1 (1963): 45.
page 223 It should be noted that Rosenberg"s literary sensibility: It should be noted that Rosenberg"s literary sensibility: In 1935, the shock of Stalinist horror forced the In 1935, the shock of Stalinist horror forced the Partisan Review Partisan Review into a deep ident.i.ty crisis. The impossible strain in its nature had been clear from the start-most notably in the editors" desire to support high art while imagining a world devoid of social hierarchies. In 1936, the magazine ceased publication. A year later, after intense self-examination, it rose from the ashes with a new outlook. Said into a deep ident.i.ty crisis. The impossible strain in its nature had been clear from the start-most notably in the editors" desire to support high art while imagining a world devoid of social hierarchies. In 1936, the magazine ceased publication. A year later, after intense self-examination, it rose from the ashes with a new outlook. Said PR: PR: The personal is political. This formulation, so familiar to us now, arose in the 1930s only after long, exhaustive battles over the meanings of art, politics, and individuality. Clement Greenberg"s landmark essay, "Avant-Garde and Kitsch," published in the Fall 1939 issue of The personal is political. This formulation, so familiar to us now, arose in the 1930s only after long, exhaustive battles over the meanings of art, politics, and individuality. Clement Greenberg"s landmark essay, "Avant-Garde and Kitsch," published in the Fall 1939 issue of PR PR echoed Trotsky"s view that "art can become a strong ally of the [socialist] revolution only insofar as it remains faithful to itself." Greenberg argued that painting could be faithful to itself only if it expunged representational content and focused exclusively on its plasticity. Thus, an individual artistic style-freed from received subject matter-was socially revolutionary. Rosenberg agreed (a rare moment of consensus between the two). echoed Trotsky"s view that "art can become a strong ally of the [socialist] revolution only insofar as it remains faithful to itself." Greenberg argued that painting could be faithful to itself only if it expunged representational content and focused exclusively on its plasticity. Thus, an individual artistic style-freed from received subject matter-was socially revolutionary. Rosenberg agreed (a rare moment of consensus between the two).
In essays that often appeared in the Partisan Review Partisan Review, Greenberg and Rosenberg refined their arguments about style and politics by examining the work of Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and others. Their essays helped turn Abstract Expressionism into the cultural phenomenon it became in the 1940s and 1950s-and crucially, as James D. Herbert has pointed out, Greenberg and Rosenberg "worked to find a safe haven for radical progress within the realm of individualistic culture." Abstract work, they insisted, could not be co-opted to promote the state the way "realistic" imagery had been manipulated by Stalinists and others with political agendas.
Ten years after Greenberg first pitched his ideas in the pages of PR PR, Jackson Pollock posed for a Life Life magazine cover. In his dark jacket, and puffing on a cigarette, Pollock presents the image of a proletariat tough guy, irascibly charming. But the black painting behind him, with its vibrant drips and scrawls, announces a new force in American culture. Meanwhile, Greenberg had become the magazine cover. In his dark jacket, and puffing on a cigarette, Pollock presents the image of a proletariat tough guy, irascibly charming. But the black painting behind him, with its vibrant drips and scrawls, announces a new force in American culture. Meanwhile, Greenberg had become the Nation" Nation"s regular art critic; Rosenberg eventually joined the staff of The New Yorker The New Yorker. Both writers continued to move away from hard-line Marxism (tainted now with spectral images of ma.s.s death and anonymous prisons). Greenberg hardened his stance that art must eschew all external references, and Rosenberg insisted that literature follow painting"s self-reflexive path.
(With the benefit of more than fifty years" hindsight, we know that Abstract Expressionism did not escape co-optation any more than social realism had. MoMA let the CIA exhibit abstract paintings from its collection overseas as a way of a.s.serting America"s "social freedom" and "cultural superiority" to Communist countries. Unwittingly, abstract art became a Cold War weapon.) In its heyday, PR PR was defined by one other cultural thread-Judaism-that would have a strong impact on Don. Phillip Lopate says, "Don was very comfortable in Jewish intellectual circles. Judaism gave him a kind of ethical spine, I think-I mean the secular, politically active Judaism." Don attended a few was defined by one other cultural thread-Judaism-that would have a strong impact on Don. Phillip Lopate says, "Don was very comfortable in Jewish intellectual circles. Judaism gave him a kind of ethical spine, I think-I mean the secular, politically active Judaism." Don attended a few PR PR gatherings in the early 1960s, where Phillips tried to revive the heady intellectual atmosphere of the old days. Of one such "soiree," gatherings in the early 1960s, where Phillips tried to revive the heady intellectual atmosphere of the old days. Of one such "soiree," The New York Times The New York Times reported, "Donald Barthelme attacked [one of] Lionel Trilling"s novel[s] and Diana Trilling retorted by savaging Barthelme." Afterward, Phillips sighed and said, "I was trying to mate lambs and wolves." reported, "Donald Barthelme attacked [one of] Lionel Trilling"s novel[s] and Diana Trilling retorted by savaging Barthelme." Afterward, Phillips sighed and said, "I was trying to mate lambs and wolves."
Cited above: "art can become a strong ally of the [socialist] revolution": "art can become a strong ally of the [socialist] revolution": Leon Trotsky, "Letter to Dwight Macdonald," cited in Leon Trotsky, "Letter to Dwight Macdonald," cited in Pollock and After Pollock and After, ed. Francis Frascina (New York: Harper & Row, 1985), 170; "worked to find a safe haven for radical progress": "worked to find a safe haven for radical progress": James D. Herbert, James D. Herbert, The Political Origins of Abstract Expressionist Art Criticism The Political Origins of Abstract Expressionist Art Criticism (Stanford, California: Stanford Honors Essay in the Humanities, 1985), 2; (Stanford, California: Stanford Honors Essay in the Humanities, 1985), 2; "social freedom" "social freedom" and and "cultural superiority": "cultural superiority": Eva c.o.c.kcroft. "Abstract Expressionism, Weapon of the Cold War," in Eva c.o.c.kcroft. "Abstract Expressionism, Weapon of the Cold War," in Pollock and After Pollock and After, ed. Frascina, 125133; "Don was very comfortable": Phillip Lopate, in a conversation with the author, October 29, 2004. Phillip Lopate, in a conversation with the author, October 29, 2004. "Donald Barthelme attacked": "Donald Barthelme attacked": Joseph Berger, "William Phillips, Co-Founder and Soul of Joseph Berger, "William Phillips, Co-Founder and Soul of Partisan Review Partisan Review, Dies at 94," New York Times New York Times, September 14, 2002.
page 223 "noticed that the windows overlooking Broadway": "noticed that the windows overlooking Broadway": Donald Barthelme, "Being Bad," in Donald Barthelme, "Being Bad," in Not-Knowing: The Essays and Interviews Not-Knowing: The Essays and Interviews, ed. Kim Herzinger (New York: Random House, 1997), 185.
page 223 "[The] New York State Court of Appeals": "[The] New York State Court of Appeals": Barney Rosset, letter to Harold Rosenberg, July 19, 1963, Research Library, Getty Research Inst.i.tute, Los Angeles, California. Barney Rosset, letter to Harold Rosenberg, July 19, 1963, Research Library, Getty Research Inst.i.tute, Los Angeles, California.
page 224 " " The New York Times... The New York Times...received an unprecedented number of poems": Erwin A. Glickes and Paul Schweber, letter to Harold Rosenberg, February 6, 1964: Research Library, Getty Research Inst.i.tute, Los Angeles, California. Erwin A. Glickes and Paul Schweber, letter to Harold Rosenberg, February 6, 1964: Research Library, Getty Research Inst.i.tute, Los Angeles, California.
page 224 "social and historical happenings": "social and historical happenings": Harold Rosenberg, "Form and Despair," Harold Rosenberg, "Form and Despair," Location Location 1, no. 2 (1964): 79. 1, no. 2 (1964): 79.
page 224 "A literature which is exclusively about itself?": "A literature which is exclusively about itself?": Saul Bellow, "A Comment on "Form and Despair," " Saul Bellow, "A Comment on "Form and Despair," " Location Location 1, no. 2 (1964): 1012. 1, no. 2 (1964): 1012.
page 224 "mysterious shift" "mysterious shift": This and subsequent quotes from the essay are from Donald Barthelme, "After Joyce," Location Location 1, no. 2 (1964): 1316. 1, no. 2 (1964): 1316.
page 225 "[H]e was a talker": "[H]e was a talker": Saul Bellow, Saul Bellow, Him With His Foot in His Mouth and Other Stories Him With His Foot in His Mouth and Other Stories (New York: Harper & Row, 1984), 7677. (New York: Harper & Row, 1984), 7677.
page 226 "Let me confess now": "Let me confess now": This and subsequent quotes from the memorandum to Hess and Rosenberg are from Donald Barthelme, "Memorandum on This and subsequent quotes from the memorandum to Hess and Rosenberg are from Donald Barthelme, "Memorandum on Location Location Prospectus and Prospects," undated, Research Library, Getty Research Inst.i.tute, Los Angeles, California. Prospectus and Prospects," undated, Research Library, Getty Research Inst.i.tute, Los Angeles, California.
page 227 "friends of the family": "friends of the family": This and subsequent quotes from the story are from Donald Barthelme, "For I"m the Boy," This and subsequent quotes from the story are from Donald Barthelme, "For I"m the Boy," Location Location 1, no. 2 (1964): 9193. 1, no. 2 (1964): 9193.
page 228 "soul anguish": "soul anguish": Sren Kierkegaard, Sren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling / Repet.i.tion Fear and Trembling / Repet.i.tion, ed. and trans. Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1983), 204213.
page 228 " "The only way to determine the value" : : Jean-Paul Sartre, Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism Existentialism a and Human Emotions (New York: Citadel Press, 1985), 57. (New York: Citadel Press, 1985), 57.
page 228 "The artist must...above all retain his private vision": "The artist must...above all retain his private vision": Duncan Grant, cited at Duncan Grant, cited at www.walrus.com.
page 229 "contrive somehow to avoid": "contrive somehow to avoid": Saul Bellow, "Deep Readers of the World, Beware," Saul Bellow, "Deep Readers of the World, Beware," New York Times Book Review New York Times Book Review, February 15, 1959, 34.
27. Come Back, Dr. Caligari Come Back, Dr. Caligari page 230 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: Come Back, Dr. Caligari Come Back, Dr. Caligari, the t.i.tle of Don"s first book, is taken from the 1919 German expressionist film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, directed by Robert Wiene and starring Conrad Veidt. The film"s dizzying, oddly angled sets, as well as its stories within stories, challenge mundane perceptions. The "modern reappearance" of an old "myth" (a magician and his victim) forms the film"s core. The central showman, Dr. Caligari, promises audiences, "Wonders! Marvels! Miracles!"
Before settling on the t.i.tle, Don jokingly offered his publisher Horse Feathers Horse Feathers and and Ned Bobkoff and the Incredible Garbage Cans Ned Bobkoff and the Incredible Garbage Cans.
page 230 "To be young and in love with films": "To be young and in love with films": This and subsequent Lopate quotes about New York film culture from his book This and subsequent Lopate quotes about New York film culture from his book Totally, Tenderly, Tragically Totally, Tenderly, Tragically are posted at nytimes.com/ books/first/lopate-totally.html. are posted at nytimes.com/ books/first/lopate-totally.html.
page 232 "a jet black smallish creature"; "fanatical about proper projection": "a jet black smallish creature"; "fanatical about proper projection": Rudy Franci"s comments are posted at cinematreasures.org/theater/6016. Rudy Franci"s comments are posted at cinematreasures.org/theater/6016.
page 232 "The themes of [Warhol"s] films"; "if the cinemagoer really concentrated": "The themes of [Warhol"s] films"; "if the cinemagoer really concentrated": Klaus Honnef, Klaus Honnef, Andy Warhol, 19281987: Commerce into Art Andy Warhol, 19281987: Commerce into Art (Koln, West Germany: Benedikt Taschen, 1990), 7577. (Koln, West Germany: Benedikt Taschen, 1990), 7577.
page 233 "the look, the editorial and graphic components": "the look, the editorial and graphic components": Ben YaG.o.da, Ben YaG.o.da, About Town: The New Yorker and the World It Made About Town: The New Yorker and the World It Made (New York: Scribner"s, 2000), 42. (New York: Scribner"s, 2000), 42.
page 233 "not only part.i.tions": "not only part.i.tions": Robert Coates quoted in ibid., 44. Robert Coates quoted in ibid., 44.
page 233 "commas in the "commas in the New Yorker New Yorker": E. B. White quoted in ibid., 206207. E. B. White quoted in ibid., 206207.
page 233 "twenty year" war: The Writer in Society: Donald Barthelme "twenty year" war: The Writer in Society: Donald Barthelme (Houston: KUHT-TV, 1984). (Houston: KUHT-TV, 1984).
page 233 "fully comprehended...the magazine"s commitment": "fully comprehended...the magazine"s commitment": YaG.o.da, YaG.o.da, About Town About Town, 244.
page 233 "combined the best qualities of Napoleon and St. Francis of a.s.sisi": "combined the best qualities of Napoleon and St. Francis of a.s.sisi": Harold Brodkey quoted in ibid., 257. Harold Brodkey quoted in ibid., 257.
page 233 "hobbled" and "capricious": "hobbled" and "capricious": John Cheever quoted in ibid., 293. John Cheever quoted in ibid., 293.
page 234 "inhibition[s]" led to an "ethic of silence"; "There began to be a feeling"; "physical structure of the office": "inhibition[s]" led to an "ethic of silence"; "There began to be a feeling"; "physical structure of the office": Renata Adler, Renata Adler, Gone: The Last Days of The New Yorker Gone: The Last Days of The New Yorker (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999), 2324. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999), 2324.
page 234 "The "The New Yorker New Yorker had an air of complete privacy"; "The offices of editors, writers, artists": had an air of complete privacy"; "The offices of editors, writers, artists": Ved Mehta, Ved Mehta, Remembering Mr. Shawn"s New Yorker: The Invisible Art of Editing Remembering Mr. Shawn"s New Yorker: The Invisible Art of Editing (Woodstock and New York: Overlook Press, 1998), 110111. (Woodstock and New York: Overlook Press, 1998), 110111.
page 234 "under the pressureless pressures": "under the pressureless pressures": ibid., 278. ibid., 278.
page 234 "I"ve always felt that there was a connection between "I"ve always felt that there was a connection between The New Yorker The New Yorker and depression": and depression": Phillip Lopate, in a conversation with the author, October 29, 2004. Phillip Lopate, in a conversation with the author, October 29, 2004.
page 235 "amazingly bad"; "obscene and extremely violent": "amazingly bad"; "obscene and extremely violent": Adler, Adler, Gone Gone, 1819.
page 235 "At the time I didn"t have an agent": The Writer in Society "At the time I didn"t have an agent": The Writer in Society.
page 235 "Donald Barthelme has rewritten "L"Lapse" ": "Donald Barthelme has rewritten "L"Lapse" ": Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, January 25, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, January 25, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 235 "wealthy film critic": "wealthy film critic": This and subsequent quotes from "L"Lapse" are from Donald Barthelme, This and subsequent quotes from "L"Lapse" are from Donald Barthelme, Guilty Pleasures Guilty Pleasures (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1974), 4551. (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1974), 4551.
page 236 "[The novelist] Niccolo Tucci asked me to convey my congratulations to you": "[The novelist] Niccolo Tucci asked me to convey my congratulations to you": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, March 5, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, March 5, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 237 "I can only a.s.sume": "I can only a.s.sume": E. B. White, E. B. White, Letters of E. B. White Letters of E. B. White, ed. Dorothy Lobrano Guth (New York: Harper & Row, 1976), 189.
page 237 " "Although he is a member of the family": ibid., 244. ibid., 244.
page 237 "established an overt"; "The fiction editors themselves": "established an overt"; "The fiction editors themselves": Adler, Adler, Gone Gone, 6566.
page 237 "cold and irascible"; "a "cold and irascible"; "a sine qua non sine qua non for the job": for the job": Mehta, Mehta, Remembering Mr. Shawn"s New Yorker Remembering Mr. Shawn"s New Yorker, 332.
page 237 "my lifeline to the literary world": "my lifeline to the literary world": Roger Angell, in a conversation with the author, May 27, 2004. Roger Angell, in a conversation with the author, May 27, 2004.
page 237 "vague and obscure": "vague and obscure": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, March 13, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, March 13, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 238 "This strikes us as being highly artificial and entirely unconvincing": "This strikes us as being highly artificial and entirely unconvincing": Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, April 16, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, April 16, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 238 "I do hope that you will not be discouraged": "I do hope that you will not be discouraged": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, May 6, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, May 6, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 238 "I showed the stories to my boss": "I showed the stories to my boss": This and subsequent quotes regarding Gollob"s conversation with Ned Bradford are from Herman Gollob, This and subsequent quotes regarding Gollob"s conversation with Ned Bradford are from Herman Gollob, Me and Shakespeare: Adventures with the Bard Me and Shakespeare: Adventures with the Bard (New York: Doubleday, 2002), 169170. (New York: Doubleday, 2002), 169170.
When Gollob informed Don of Little, Brown"s decision, Don wrote him back: "Montressor: Needless to say, I am ill with GLADNESS at being taken under the Little, Brown wing. I feel I have a home now. You will doubtless find me in your anteroom, before very long, ill-dressed, unshaven, but warm and happy, tugging at your sleeve...." (Donald Barthelme, letter to Herman Gollob, undated [1963], Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.) page 238 "That did the trick": "That did the trick": Herman Gollob, in a conversation with the author, April 19, 2007. Herman Gollob, in a conversation with the author, April 19, 2007.
page 239 "John Cheever in a fun-house mirror": "John Cheever in a fun-house mirror": David P. Young, in a review of David P. Young, in a review of Come Back, Dr. Caligari, Studies in Short Fiction Come Back, Dr. Caligari, Studies in Short Fiction 3, no. 3 (1966): 388. 3, no. 3 (1966): 388.
page 239 "[Mr. Barthelme] seemed most interested in the offer": "[Mr. Barthelme] seemed most interested in the offer": Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, July 22, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, July 22, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 239 "breathtaking": "breathtaking": Roger Angell, in a conversation with the author, May 27, 2004. Roger Angell, in a conversation with the author, May 27, 2004.
page 239 "baffled" many staffers: "baffled" many staffers: YaG.o.da, YaG.o.da, About Town About Town, 346.
page 239 "was on to Barthelme before anyone else": "was on to Barthelme before anyone else": Roger Angell quoted in ibid., 346. Roger Angell quoted in ibid., 346.
page 239 "I enthusiastically admired": "I enthusiastically admired": Roger Angell, in a conversation with the author, December 6, 2006. Roger Angell, in a conversation with the author, December 6, 2006.
page 240 "Donald Barthelme"s book of short stories": "Donald Barthelme"s book of short stories": "New Faces, New Forces," "New Faces, New Forces," Harper"s Bazaar Harper"s Bazaar, June 1963.
page 240 "It is almost impossible, of course": "It is almost impossible, of course": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, August 1, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, August 1, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 240 "best story of his that we have seen": "best story of his that we have seen": Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, September 9, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, September 9, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 240 "Dear Don": "Dear Don": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, September 3, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, September 3, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 240 "cost of living adjustment": "cost of living adjustment": Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, October 14, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, October 14, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 241 "more customary" paragraphs "more customary" paragraphs to to "The people who liked it didn"t write": "The people who liked it didn"t write": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, October 18, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, October 18, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 241 "new purchase[s]": "new purchase[s]": Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, December 11, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, December 11, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 241 "[I]t just adds up to a nice bundle": "[I]t just adds up to a nice bundle": Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, December 11, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, December 11, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 241 "startling and perfect" Christmas gift: "startling and perfect" Christmas gift: Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, December 23, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Donald Barthelme, December 23, 1963, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
page 241 "current bonus cycle": "current bonus cycle": Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, January 16, 1964, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Roger Angell, letter to Lynn Nesbit, January 16, 1964, Ma.n.u.scripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.