B007RT1UH4 EBOK (78 page)
Authors: William Gaddis
Since Aaron is the publisher a letter from him would probably bear more weight than an agent do you think? But asking him would of course be to remind him yet once more of my delinquency (not that he is unaware of it!), and appear to project it on and on into spring, as I hope to Christ will not be the case. You may well have had this experience (jury service I mean, I know you’ve had the delinquency one) with writers before. What do you think? If you or he will write such a letter I think it should be sent to me and addressed to Clerk of the Court, United States District Court, US Courthouse, Foley Square, NY NY.
God knows there are ironies: practically everyone at the end of
J R
is being subpoenaed to appear at this same court & it would have been a marvelous experience if it had come a year ago (if it came now it would add another 60 pages . . .)
And what can I tell you about the delinquency itself? True, Christmas did not help work, and I have had to interrupt for two IBM job speeches—dentists, tuition &c and of course still desperate: but even these are excuses of reality to which you’re well used. I do get up every morning at 6:30 or 7, do come in to this desk and go on till 5 or 6, do hold my head in frustration, and in the end have no excuses for why this last part is so hard to bring off. Part of it is
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
, if you happened to see that excellent film. And that drawn-out metaphor of Gibbs’ book as the invalid in there defiantly waiting where one left him was not lightly inspired. [
J R
605]
I have to thank you for sending up
Les Reconnaissances
(got one Vol I & two Vol IIs) and the review from
Le Monde
which, to my broken-french eye, looks quite rave and God help us does not even mention Joyce I believe. I must say the book itself looks excellent (though apparently better proof-read in the French than Spanish), maybe I will be like Edgar Allen Poe (not at these prices). If I were on any decent terms (any terms at all) with Gallimard I’d ask them to send a copy to the director Alain Renais (sp?) homage for his film
Murie
l (with of course the hope he might like to do a big-scale US movie).
Proofs for the few pages (ie 10 out of some 400) for
Antaeus
came and I returned them titled simply
Untitled fragment from another damned, thick, square book which Halperin (Halpern?) said should be out in March, wish they’d taken a later fragment but doubt it makes much difference one way or another.
Finally, is there any way to know when Avon will make its 2nd payment to Harcourt, if I can get my part promptly when they do? Also occurred to me Avon might be interested in seeing the review from
Le Monde.
Candida believe me my attempt above to sound brisk and businesslike is just that, an attempt, I won’t retail the despair behind it but if you can hang on with me a little longer I am honestly trying to finish this God damned thing.
[carbon copy; unsigned]
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
: the 1962 British film directed by Tony Richardson and based on Alan Sillitoe’s 1959 story.
Poe: Edgar All
a
n Poe was revered by the French long before he was appreciated in America.
Alain Renais [...]
Muriel:
Resnais’s 1963 film
Muriel ou le Temps d’un retour
, with a screenplay by Jean Cayrol.
Halperin: Daniel Halpern (1945– ), editor and publisher. Pages 137–43 of
J R
appeared in
Antæus
13/14 (Spring/Summer 1974): 98–105.
Avon: a mass-market paperback edition of
R
was published by Avon (under its Bard imprint) in 1974 and went through three printings in succeeding years. However, it was reset from the first edition, thus ignoring WG’s corrections for the Meridian edition, and contained hundreds of typos of its own.
To Judith Gaddis
[
Written after Judith left for a trip, formatted to look like a classified report. MIL = mother-inlaw.
]
REPORTREPORTREPORTREPORTREPORTREPORTREPORTREPORT EYES ONLY EYES ONLY EYES ONLY EYES ONLY
AM
26FEB74 OFFICIAL CLASSIFIED 26FEB74 OFFICIAL CLASSIFIED
| 08:25 | waved |
| 08:26 | watched down hill to make sure car turned corner safely; waved |
| 08:28 | walked dog to Aufieri garbage can and returned |
| 08:31 | poured coffee |
| 08:45 | decided to move car back to house so I would not keep looking out and thinking Judith had gone on errand and would return |
| 08:46 | saw bag with grapefruit, put it by door to remember to give to Jack |
| 08:47 | let cat in |
| 08:48 | poured coffee |
| 08:49 | saw MIL’s letter |
| 08:59 | went in to look for stamp for MIL’s letter |
| 09:00 | saw work laid out on table, decided to have drink |
| 09:01 | let cat out; decided not to have drink |
| 09:02 | decided to move car back to house so I would not keep looking out and thinking Judith had gone on errand and would return |
| 09:04 | burned toast |
| 09:09 | called John, reached hoarse lady who said he would call back |
| 09:11 | let cat in |
| 09:12 | poured coffee, looked at work laid out on table |
| 09:14 | decided to clear kitchen table and bring typewriter there to be near ’phone |
| 09:16 | tied up newspapers |
| 09:23 | emptied ashtray |
| 09:25 | decided to make list of things I must do |
| 09:29 | could not think of anything so decided not to make list |
| 09:31 | cleared kitchen table |
| 09:34 | John called; read him note from his Mrs emphasizing all underlined words but did not know Pat’s ’phone number. Haha. |
| 09:44 | let cat out |
| 09:45 | decided to move car back to house so I would not keep looking out and thinking I had gone on errand and would not return |
| 09:46 | moved car back to house |
| 09:58 | looked at work laid out on table, decided to have cereal |
| 09:59 | made cereal |
| 10:02 | ate cereal reading Swarthmore alumni bulletin; noted one alumnus who claimed 3 billion dependents for federal taxes and given 9 months in prison for filing fraudulent W-4 form, decided must remember to warn MIL who might consider something similar |
| 10:40 | looked at work spread out on table |
| 10:41 | twinge at noticing coffee cups &c, put them in dishwasher to not be reminded of departure |
| 10:48 | examined contents of refrigerator, discovered spaghetti sauce with Message and put it in freezer |
| 10:50 | discovered corned beef and potatoes |
| 10:55 | thought I should probably go down and get butter; checked first, found 4 sticks of butter |
| 10:57 | let cat in |
| 10:58 | hung up coat |
| 10:59 | put trash out |
| 10:00 | listened to news on radio |
| 10:04 | went upstairs and looked around |
| 10:08 | came downstairs and looked around |
| 10:13 | sat down and studied design in kitchen floor linoleum |
| 10:20 | looked outside for car to make sure I had not gone on errand and might not return |
| 10:22 | decided I should probably go down and get cigarettes; checked first, found 5 packs |
| 10:24 | brought typewriter in to kitchen table to be near ’phone |
| 10:28 | decided to have nap till suppertime when I could have corned beef |
| 10:29 | sat down in livingroom chair |
| 10:33 | woke startled by ghastly liquid snoring, decided I had horrible cold and should have drink |
| 10:34 | discovered snoring was being done by dog, very relieved |
| 10:37 | decided not to have drink, went to typewriter in kitchen to work |
| 10:41 | decided I should get some letters out of the way before settling down to work, got paper |
| 10:50 | could think of no one to write to |
| 10:51 | stacked wood more neatly on porch, checked newspapers to make sure they were well tied |
| 10:57 | returned to kitchen and listened to refrigerator hum |
| 11:01 | examined contents of refrigerator |
| 11:04 | thought I should probably go down and get milk; checked first, found a full quart |
| 11:06 | looked to see if mail had come but flag was still down |
| 11:09 | discovered memorandum WILLIAM THINGS TO REMEMBER and read carefully |
| 11:29 | put cat out |
| 11:31 | examined clam chowder from refrigerator |
| 11:33 | decided clam chowder looked thin, decided to add potatoes |
| 11:34 | peeled and diced 3 small potatoes and put on boil |
| 11:51 | heard mailbox, got mail |
| 11:55 | opened mail, one item from American Express with new card and literature which said read enclosed agreement carefully |
| 11:56 | read agreement carefully |
| PM | |
| 12:18 | diced potatoes somewhat soft, added them to chowder; decided chowder looked somewhat thick, got spoon |
| 12:22 | served bowl of hot chowder, got spoon |
| 12:23 | ’phone rang: talked with Hy Cohen at agency who said check should arrive this week; who also said Aaron Asher is leaving Holt and was concerned that Asher’s departure would not or might upset me; I told him I was not unless Holt wanted their money back; he said that would be fine, certainly sell it elsewhere; I told him I was working hard on it right this minute; he said Asher might go to Dutton which would be logical following on Hal Sharlatt’s death; I said Dutton had no money; he said we will think about it, it could all work out extremely well especially if I finish the book soon; I said I would finish the book soon, was working on it right this minute; he did not answer; I told him my only real dismay at this moment was confidence and faith Asher has shown in me and my work over many years and would be a shame to part with him at this point; he said we will talk about it, that the Dutton possibility is only a possibility; I said I will not tell a sole; he said we’ll be in touch with you I said boy you better. |
| 12:55 | poured chowder back into pan to reheat |
| 12:56 | listened to news on radio |
| 01:00 | ate chowder, reading interesting article on Alaska in Swarthmore bulletin |
| 01:21 | checked upstairs, nothing changed |
| 01:23 | checked downstairs, emptied ashtray |
| 01:26 | looked at work spread out on table, noticed stamp for MIL’s letter |
| 01:29 | walked out with dog to mail MIL’s letter |
| 01:42 | returning from walk waved cheerful friendly wave to neighbor standing on corner |
| 01:43 | realised neighbor standing on corner was really Jack’s garbage can, hurried inside hoping no one had noticed |
| 01:52 | sat down at typewriter to work |
| 01:58 | ’phone rang, talked with Mr Cody a real estate agent who wished to be helpful if we wished to rent or sell our Saltaire house this summer; wrote reminder to call Savages |
| 02:11 | got notes for present sequence in book beside typewriter |
| 02:13 | suddenly realized I had better get cat food before stores closed; checked and found 2 full cans of cat food |
| 02:19 | decided to call Hy Coen back with some ideas |
| 02:35 | could not think of any ideas so declined to call Hy Coen back |
| 02:36 | reread notes for present sequence in book |
| 02:39 | reread notes for present sequence in book |
| 02:41 | decided to reread whole book through up to this point |
| 02:42 | looked at MS, decided not to reread whole book up to this point |
| 02:44 | reread notes for present sequence in book |
| 02:47 | began to type rough version of present sequence in book |
| 03:05 | dog passed through going east to west |
| 03:07 | dog passed through going west to east |
| 04:01 | began to type second page of rough draft |
| 04:26 | dog passed through west to east |
| 04:27 | dog passed through east to west |
| 04:44 | read two pages of rough version of present sequence in book |
| 04:48 | began to type third page of rough version |
| 05:26 | decided to have drink as Adrienne rang doorbell, told her to come back in the spring |
| 05:26 | fixed drink |
| 05:28 | sat down to read pages of rough version just written |
| 05:31 | laughed heartily |
| 06:31 | decided might be a good idea to start checking motels in Virginia, North and South Carolina |
| 06:35 | could not find Mobil guide to motels in Virginia, North and South Carolina; wondered where they were |
| 06:44 | wondered where they were |
| 06:55 | turned on oven to heat corned beef, dog passed through west to east; let cat in |
| 06:57 | reread pages of rough version just written |
| 07:02 | did not chuckle; wondered where they were |
| 07:09 | put in corned beef to warm; wondered where they were |
| 07:16 | fed dog; wondered where they were |
| 07:18 | fed cat; wondered where they were |
| 07:41 | served corned beef |
| 07:42 | ate corned beef |
| 08:01 | watched Benny Goodman Story did not know he was such a sap and wondered where on earth they were |