The New JDS Biography
citycabn (citycabn@gateway.net)
Thu, 16 Sep 1999 11:24:56 -0700
Camille wrote:
> What do you think of the biography, Bruce? Were my initial
>instincts about it right or wrong?
>
I must have missed your post re the Alexander. [Though I do believe your
initial instincts are right circa 95% of the time. :) ] The only reason I
bought the book was, just after disappointedly thumbing through it, I
chanced upon Alexander's statement in the Acknowledgments that "I was helped
immensely by the New Yorker Archive at the NY Public Library, which became
open to the public after Hamilton published In Search of JDS. Mine is the
first book to use this important archive as source material." I think the
bits I have posted are all from there. I confess to having read it very
quickly a couple of months ago, with less than a clear mind. But as
thumbnail overview:
In general, the book seems hastily put together, misreadings of the stories
abound, the post 1965 chapters read like very cheap journalism. This is
definitely not serious scholarship. (Yet, he has an MFA from Iowa and has
published bios on James Dean and Slyvia Plath.) I can see why some of the
big publishing houses passed on it. The only "new" stuff that sticks in my
mind is re The New Yorker relationship. Everything else seems to be in the
Hamilton and the magazines of the last 40 years. Yes, a few interviews but
not with anyone who you would want to be interviewed. Takes a rather rough
stance re JDS and young women. And seems to discount the talk of the
existence of all the unpublished stories. As for pics: none inside. The
cover is rather original. The repro at amazon doesn't do it justice. The
dust wrapper is of a strange see-through plastic which has the title etc
printed on it, plus a photo of JDS taken in the '80s I'd say. (Obviously a
"gotcha" type photo.) The front cover of the book proper has the 1951
Catcher photo produced on a large scale. The effect, when holding the book,
is to see the '51 self peering through the dust jacket next to the '80s
self. $$: Check it out of the library.
I did see in the August Archives that will is reading Alexander atop an
exercise bike. I would like to be there too (perhaps on a chair) with my
copy in hand, hearing *his* comments. Along these lines, it would be great
to read Down at the Dinghy next to Mattis, Franny next to Camille, Teddy
next to Sonny, The Catcher next to Tim. And there are a lot more stories
and fishes!