Friday, May 21, 2004
The Literary Dick (as in Private Detective)
welcomes questions about literary mysteries and scandals, which should be sent to: woodyswoody@hotmail.com. The Literary Dick (as in Private Detective) is published on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, by Jonathanames.com. Just so you know, Jonathan Ames, our mentor here at this website, has a new book coming out in July, called, Wake Up, Sir!
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A New Mystery
I thought I’d share an unsigned email I recently got:
“A pivotal question for the Literary Dick: what was the extent of Ernest Hemingway's nudism? See http://www.edrants.com/reluctant/001103.html for context.”
Then, if you go to that web-page, you’ll find 'Edward Champion's Return of the Reluctant', which has the following posting for May 18, 2004:
"Hemingway the Nudist
Metherell Towers, Britain's oldest nudist camp, has been put up for sale. The nine-bedroom chateau was opened up by Edward Hemingway, cousin of Ernest, back in the 1930s. The inside dirt is that Hemingway wrote nude standing up, with the typewriter roughly at waist level. And certainly granddaughters Marguax and Mariel have had difficulty keeping their clothes on in the films that they appeared in. Is there some nudist streak within the Hemingway genotype? I leave the fine investigative team at the Literary Dick to sort this out.”
As you may know, I currently have The Hemingway-Paranoia Mystery in my in-box; hopefully, I’ll be able to crack that case next week sometime. And when I figure out what’s going on with Ernest dropping his pants all the time, I’ll let you know.
welcomes questions about literary mysteries and scandals, which should be sent to: woodyswoody@hotmail.com. The Literary Dick (as in Private Detective) is published on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, by Jonathanames.com. Just so you know, Jonathan Ames, our mentor here at this website, has a new book coming out in July, called, Wake Up, Sir!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
A New Mystery
I thought I’d share an unsigned email I recently got:
“A pivotal question for the Literary Dick: what was the extent of Ernest Hemingway's nudism? See http://www.edrants.com/reluctant/001103.html for context.”
Then, if you go to that web-page, you’ll find 'Edward Champion's Return of the Reluctant', which has the following posting for May 18, 2004:
"Hemingway the Nudist
Metherell Towers, Britain's oldest nudist camp, has been put up for sale. The nine-bedroom chateau was opened up by Edward Hemingway, cousin of Ernest, back in the 1930s. The inside dirt is that Hemingway wrote nude standing up, with the typewriter roughly at waist level. And certainly granddaughters Marguax and Mariel have had difficulty keeping their clothes on in the films that they appeared in. Is there some nudist streak within the Hemingway genotype? I leave the fine investigative team at the Literary Dick to sort this out.”
As you may know, I currently have The Hemingway-Paranoia Mystery in my in-box; hopefully, I’ll be able to crack that case next week sometime. And when I figure out what’s going on with Ernest dropping his pants all the time, I’ll let you know.
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
The Literary Dick (as in Private Detective)
welcomes questions about literary mysteries and scandals, which should be sent to: woodyswoody@hotmail.com. The Literary Dick (as in Private Detective) is published on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, by Jonathanames.com. Just so you know, Jonathan Ames, our mentor here at this website, has a new book coming out in July, called, Wake Up, Sir!
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My Technical Difficulties & Why I Shouldn’t Be Talking About Them
In the past, I’ve made occasional references to troubles I’ve had with my computer. Here is a partial list of those issues:
- Not being able to send people large attachments.
- Not being able to able to receive all the emails I am sent.
- Not even being able to open my hotmail account.
- Not being able to figure out Blogger.
Usually when I have a problem, what I do is write an email describing what’s going on, and then I send that to my friends who know how to do computer stuff. This has pretty much worked, because at least of my friends will get back to me, and tell me what to do, and then the problem gets fixed.
Anyway, so sometimes I’ve had these problems, and I’ve shared them with you and when I do, it’s usually in the context of my being a half-wit for not being able to figure these simple things out.
Now, I was reading Pride and Prejudice the other way day and Darcy said something which showed me the error and arrogance of my ways. In Chapter 10, Darcy, Bingley, Bingley’s sister and Elizabeth are all sitting around, and the subject of handwriting comes up. Blingley says, as if self-effacingly, that he’s got very bad handwriting. But Darcy says that Bingley is really praising himself, that his comments amount to,
“[An] indirect boast; for you really are proud of your defects in writing, because you consider them as proceeding from a rapidity of thought and carelessness of execution, which, if not estimable, you think at least highly interesting. The power of doing anything with quickness is always much prized by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance.”
Do you see where I’m going with this? Like Bingley, my professing an ignorance of computer knowledge – far from a confession of real stupidity – is really an indirect boast; I’m boasting that I’m not a computer geek, and that I have better things to think about than how to work my computer.
I don’t know how I’ll be able to rid my heart of this arrogance; in the meantime, I’ll quit bringing up my computer problems.
welcomes questions about literary mysteries and scandals, which should be sent to: woodyswoody@hotmail.com. The Literary Dick (as in Private Detective) is published on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, by Jonathanames.com. Just so you know, Jonathan Ames, our mentor here at this website, has a new book coming out in July, called, Wake Up, Sir!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
My Technical Difficulties & Why I Shouldn’t Be Talking About Them
In the past, I’ve made occasional references to troubles I’ve had with my computer. Here is a partial list of those issues:
- Not being able to send people large attachments.
- Not being able to able to receive all the emails I am sent.
- Not even being able to open my hotmail account.
- Not being able to figure out Blogger.
Usually when I have a problem, what I do is write an email describing what’s going on, and then I send that to my friends who know how to do computer stuff. This has pretty much worked, because at least of my friends will get back to me, and tell me what to do, and then the problem gets fixed.
Anyway, so sometimes I’ve had these problems, and I’ve shared them with you and when I do, it’s usually in the context of my being a half-wit for not being able to figure these simple things out.
Now, I was reading Pride and Prejudice the other way day and Darcy said something which showed me the error and arrogance of my ways. In Chapter 10, Darcy, Bingley, Bingley’s sister and Elizabeth are all sitting around, and the subject of handwriting comes up. Blingley says, as if self-effacingly, that he’s got very bad handwriting. But Darcy says that Bingley is really praising himself, that his comments amount to,
“[An] indirect boast; for you really are proud of your defects in writing, because you consider them as proceeding from a rapidity of thought and carelessness of execution, which, if not estimable, you think at least highly interesting. The power of doing anything with quickness is always much prized by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance.”
Do you see where I’m going with this? Like Bingley, my professing an ignorance of computer knowledge – far from a confession of real stupidity – is really an indirect boast; I’m boasting that I’m not a computer geek, and that I have better things to think about than how to work my computer.
I don’t know how I’ll be able to rid my heart of this arrogance; in the meantime, I’ll quit bringing up my computer problems.
Monday, May 17, 2004
The Literary Dick (as in Private Detective)
welcomes questions about literary mysteries and scandals, which should be sent to: woodyswoody@hotmail.com. The Literary Dick (as in Private Detective) is published on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, by Jonathanames.com. Just so you know, Jonathan Ames, our mentor here at this website, has a new book coming out in July, called, Wake Up, Sir!
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The Mystery of Arturo Bandini
Question: Dear Literary Dick (as in Private Detective),
Like many bukowski fans I've recently become infatuated with the works of John
Fante. One thing that bothers me about his bandini stories though is the inconsistency of little facts. For instance, when and why did he move to
California? Did he move with his family or did they come later? DId he have 2
brothers and a sister? and most importantly did his father leave his family for
a rich woman or did he die at a young age?
many thanks for clearing these crucial matters up once and for all
-Rich "The Italian" T.
Answer: The Italian hits the nail on the head when he says that the Arturo Bandini stories contain inconsistencies. And that’s part of why it’s difficult for me to answer all of Rich’s questions; that, and I haven’t read any Fante.
But I have skimmed over Full of Life: A Biography of John Fante, by Stephen Cooper, and Catherine J. Kordich’s excellent John Fante: His Novels and Novellas, and from these I’ve gleaned some basic knowledge of the Bandini stories, which I’ll now pass on.
First off, not all of the discrepancies that appear result from comparing the facts of one book to another. As Kordich notes, Arturo’s age vacillates between 14 and 12 in Wait Until Spring, Bandini, the first Bandini book to be published. That novel takes place in Colorado, and was published in 1938. In it, Arturo’s father (named Svevo) does have an affair with a rich widow and Arturo has 2 brothers (and maybe a sister, I’m not sure). Three years before Wait Until Spring, Bandini was published, Fante wrote The Road to Los Angeles, which also features Arturo, and which would not be published until 1985, two years after Fante died.
The family situation in The Road to Los Angeles - the first Bandini novel written, but the last to be published - is different than that of the first published Bandini book. For example, in The Road to Los Angeles, Arturo’s father is dead and Arturo is living in Wilmington, CA with his mother and sister, who is named Mona. The book ends with Arturo moving to L.A..
Fante tried to get The Road to Los Angeles published after he first wrote it, but because he was unsuccessful, he may have found, in writing Wait Until Spring, Bandini, that it was unnecessary to remain faithful to the “Bandini Universe” he had created in The Road to Los Angeles.
A year after Wait Until Spring, Bandini was published, Ask The Dusk appeared in print. This book, as far as I can tell, is more or less consistent with the facts of its predecessor. In it, Bandini, according to Kordich, “moves from Colorado to Los Angeles to write the great American novel, fall in love, and become rich and famous.” (Kordich, Catherine J.. John Fante: His Novels and Novellas. Twayne Publishers: 2000. p 72) I think he’s about 20 years old when he does this.
The last Bandini novel to be written was Dreams From Bunker Hill, which came out in 1982 - over forty years after Ask The Dust. (Apparently this book was written while Fante was very sick (it had to be dictated to his wife), after his work had had a surge of popularity.) Though it was written in the 1980s, the book does not take place in that decade; instead it follows Arturo Bandini’s adventures from pretty much right after Ask The Dusk ends.
Dreams From Bunker Hillbegins with Arturo working as a writer and living in L.A.. At some point, Arturo travels back to Colorado, to visit his family, which consists of a mother, father, a brother and a sister (this time named Stella). I don’t think Svevo’s affair to the widow is referenced in this book.
To add another wrinkle to all this mishegaas, Stephen Cooper refers to the very first appearance of Arturo Bandini, which he found amongst Fante’s papers. In those 9 pages, (which, until Cooper’s book, hadn’t been published in any form, and which Fante wrote when was young), Aruturo appears living in Denver with his family. In this version, the Bandini clan features Arturo’s older brother, named – fittingly Cooper suggests – Johnny. (It’s fitting because Fante’s first name was John, in case you didn’t get that.)
So, it is the opinion of The Literary Dick that I could have made some big mistakes on this case, but I think I’ve got it about right. If you’ve read the books you’ll know what I got wrong, and will hopefully let me know. A plus that’s come out of this investigation, (for me, anyway) is that I’ll now probably read these Bandini books, which sound fun.
welcomes questions about literary mysteries and scandals, which should be sent to: woodyswoody@hotmail.com. The Literary Dick (as in Private Detective) is published on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, by Jonathanames.com. Just so you know, Jonathan Ames, our mentor here at this website, has a new book coming out in July, called, Wake Up, Sir!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The Mystery of Arturo Bandini
Question: Dear Literary Dick (as in Private Detective),
Like many bukowski fans I've recently become infatuated with the works of John
Fante. One thing that bothers me about his bandini stories though is the inconsistency of little facts. For instance, when and why did he move to
California? Did he move with his family or did they come later? DId he have 2
brothers and a sister? and most importantly did his father leave his family for
a rich woman or did he die at a young age?
many thanks for clearing these crucial matters up once and for all
-Rich "The Italian" T.
Answer: The Italian hits the nail on the head when he says that the Arturo Bandini stories contain inconsistencies. And that’s part of why it’s difficult for me to answer all of Rich’s questions; that, and I haven’t read any Fante.
But I have skimmed over Full of Life: A Biography of John Fante, by Stephen Cooper, and Catherine J. Kordich’s excellent John Fante: His Novels and Novellas, and from these I’ve gleaned some basic knowledge of the Bandini stories, which I’ll now pass on.
First off, not all of the discrepancies that appear result from comparing the facts of one book to another. As Kordich notes, Arturo’s age vacillates between 14 and 12 in Wait Until Spring, Bandini, the first Bandini book to be published. That novel takes place in Colorado, and was published in 1938. In it, Arturo’s father (named Svevo) does have an affair with a rich widow and Arturo has 2 brothers (and maybe a sister, I’m not sure). Three years before Wait Until Spring, Bandini was published, Fante wrote The Road to Los Angeles, which also features Arturo, and which would not be published until 1985, two years after Fante died.
The family situation in The Road to Los Angeles - the first Bandini novel written, but the last to be published - is different than that of the first published Bandini book. For example, in The Road to Los Angeles, Arturo’s father is dead and Arturo is living in Wilmington, CA with his mother and sister, who is named Mona. The book ends with Arturo moving to L.A..
Fante tried to get The Road to Los Angeles published after he first wrote it, but because he was unsuccessful, he may have found, in writing Wait Until Spring, Bandini, that it was unnecessary to remain faithful to the “Bandini Universe” he had created in The Road to Los Angeles.
A year after Wait Until Spring, Bandini was published, Ask The Dusk appeared in print. This book, as far as I can tell, is more or less consistent with the facts of its predecessor. In it, Bandini, according to Kordich, “moves from Colorado to Los Angeles to write the great American novel, fall in love, and become rich and famous.” (Kordich, Catherine J.. John Fante: His Novels and Novellas. Twayne Publishers: 2000. p 72) I think he’s about 20 years old when he does this.
The last Bandini novel to be written was Dreams From Bunker Hill, which came out in 1982 - over forty years after Ask The Dust. (Apparently this book was written while Fante was very sick (it had to be dictated to his wife), after his work had had a surge of popularity.) Though it was written in the 1980s, the book does not take place in that decade; instead it follows Arturo Bandini’s adventures from pretty much right after Ask The Dusk ends.
Dreams From Bunker Hillbegins with Arturo working as a writer and living in L.A.. At some point, Arturo travels back to Colorado, to visit his family, which consists of a mother, father, a brother and a sister (this time named Stella). I don’t think Svevo’s affair to the widow is referenced in this book.
To add another wrinkle to all this mishegaas, Stephen Cooper refers to the very first appearance of Arturo Bandini, which he found amongst Fante’s papers. In those 9 pages, (which, until Cooper’s book, hadn’t been published in any form, and which Fante wrote when was young), Aruturo appears living in Denver with his family. In this version, the Bandini clan features Arturo’s older brother, named – fittingly Cooper suggests – Johnny. (It’s fitting because Fante’s first name was John, in case you didn’t get that.)
So, it is the opinion of The Literary Dick that I could have made some big mistakes on this case, but I think I’ve got it about right. If you’ve read the books you’ll know what I got wrong, and will hopefully let me know. A plus that’s come out of this investigation, (for me, anyway) is that I’ll now probably read these Bandini books, which sound fun.
