book burning
Scottie Bowman (rbowman@indigo.ie)
Thu, 25 Mar 1999 08:44:02 +0000
On this whole question of burning books, I'd like
to offer a personal view. I think there could be
a misunderstanding about how the writer regards
his own work.
My credentials are that I once wrote two comic
novels of sufficiently high quality as to be taken
by one of the most prestigious London publishers
& to be praised by some of the toughest London
reviewers. That's an uncharacteristically styleless thing
to write & I only do so in support of my claim
to know - from so many miles further down
the mountain - how the thing could possibly look
to someone in Salinger's position.
From that very personal viewpoint, I suggest that
the writer is really only interested in his present
or future writing. Once the thing is done, it's gone
& best forgotten. I read someone recently (who was it?
Nabakov? or some other phoney?) who pointed out
that only the writer knows what he set out to do -
what he intended to capture. And how very far short,
ALWAYS, he has failed in the attempt. So a book
is never what one had hoped for. It's ALWAYS
a disappointment - an embarassment even.
It remains forever a source of pleasure to show off,
as I've just been doing, about being a published writer,
about one's reviews, about the deals one did for
film rights or foreign rights or whatever. But the books
themselves one cannot bear to think about, to open even.
I'm sure when Salinger remembers those manuscripts
in the vault his heart thumps with pleasure at one page
of dialogue, a couple of good juxtapositions when
he really rung the bell, one little mannerism that just
caught the person, whatever...
'Yes,' he thinks, 'I can do it still & not one of those other
bastards can...'
But for the rest, I suspect it's just four or five tons
of paper that he can't bear to throw away. And probably
never wants to see again. Or have anyone else share in
his disappointment.
Scottie B.