Salinger and Helprin
Rick Lampe (lampe@math.uiuc.edu)
Mon, 07 Jul 1997 12:40:35 -0500 (CDT)
Has anyone read much of Mark Helprin? Way back in the mid-eighties, I
read Winter's Tale, and then picked up his collection of eleven short
stories, entitled Ellis Island and other Stories. I think I read through
the whole thing, but it only comes to mind now that I've be re-working my way
through Nine Stories (and after much too long a time). The reason for
this post, is the incredible similarity I find between Esme' and one of
Helprin's stories, Tamar. It is a very beautiful short story much in the
spirit of Esme', but without the squalid part. Has anyone read this?
I'm not suggesting that their styles are similar. In some ways, I
think Helprin goes on to say too much in an annoying sort of way,
especially in his descriptive prose. For example, in Tamar he writes:
They spoke as seriously as very old theologians ...;
they pieced together their sentances with great care,
the way new skaters skate, and when they finished they
breathed in relief not unlike students of a difficult
Oriental language, who must recite in class. And at the
end of these ordeals, they looked at each other with
short glances like....
Well, you get the idea. Or maybe not.
Anyway, in light of some of the JDS posturing going on lately, the following
question did come to mind. Does anyone remember the 1970's Canadian band
Klaatu (ok, I'm dating myself...)? When their first album appeared,
the band members chose to remain anonymous. Rampant speculation soon had it
that they were really the Beatles, out to do something artistic without the
Beatles moniker. Well, my question is, when JDS dropped out of public view
and ceased pubishing, was there ever speculation about him publishing
under a pen name or is it the case that his style, as distinctive as it
is, or was, would leave no room for these types of questions.
Cheers,
Rick Lampe