becoming oneself
Scottie Bowman (bowman@mail.indigo.ie)
Fri, 16 Jan 1998 07:56:59 +0000
Graham describes very vividly the feeling some of us
have when we first encounter those writers who are to
become central to our efforts. It's a kind of terribly urgent,
if poignant, need to write `that' ourselves.
My first smart-ass impulse was to advise him to forget
Salinger & Mamet & DeLilo & Shakespeare & go & learn
to write like Graham. And, indeed, it often seems as if
people with very idiosyncratic styles like Hemingway or
Salinger must have had that self-directed instinct in them
from the start.
Of course, they didn't. In fact, I suspect the impulse to
imitate plays a big part in the formation of most artists.
Over on the Hemingway list, as Adam will know (Adam whom
I thank for his kind & supportive words), there has recently
been a discussion whether or not Hemingway had the practice
of actually copying out passages from certain writers in order
to absorb - by a kind of magical osmosis -their techniques.
In Ernest's case, we have a fair idea of who his models were.
As a newcomer, I apologise for raising again what must be a
very tired, ancient hare on this list. But - ignoring, if one can,
whatever influences there may have been as regards attitude
& content - who were the people whose rythms, style, word-choice
& so on broke Salinger's heart, the way he breaks Graham's ?
Scottie B.