The Holy Grail of Literature: A Popular & Literary Novel

Every time I read a book that is somewhat related to The Great Gatsby or Fitzgerald, I find something new and important. In this case in the A. Scott Berg biography of Max Perkins, Fitzgerald's editor, I discovered that after Fitzgerald's death they found a letter written to himself.

It read: " I want to write scenes that are frightening and inimitable. I don't want to be as intelligible to my contemporaries as [Hemingway] who, as Gertrude Stein said, is bound for the museums. I am far enough ahead to have some small immortality if I can keep well."

Wow. Perhaps this is why he never explained the novel and he never said it was a failure despite low sales. His book was not understood  by his contemporary audience  and now it appears that a part of him didn't exactly want it to be or at least knew it wouldn't be. It seems that he was trying to write about the meaning and direction of our culture even though we could not realize it at the time. In that way the book would become a classic. His desire for commercial success and longevity were in conflict. From that conflict came a novel that is known to ride the edge between popular and literary fiction.

This one little letter to himself says so much.

"Silk" by Alessandro Baricco

In about 79 full pages this international best seller is an historical novel about the silk trade in 19th C Japan and France, but is also an adventure novel and a love story and a fable and a prose poem. Some readers will feel fireworks and others (like me ) will feel but 1 or 2 wondrous "poofs". This is my "Ratatouille" book.

Charlotte and 2 Ladies in My Life

“Charlotte and 2 Ladies in My Life"

One was pretty sure she'd seen her last race riot on some forgotten date in the '70's. The other thought she would never see a race riot in her lifetime.

One sat quietly by my side, wondering what her future will be. One wept quietly into my ear, wondering what her past meant.

Me? I forgot to cry. I forgot to scream.

Because

I am undeterred untired unafraid unapologetic.

I fight.