Madox Ford was Hemingways boss,sort of,early on.He was Editor of the British Journal - The Transatlantic Review - where Hemingway cut his teeth on his submission of articles.Right off the bat the two men did not see eye to eye.It eventually led to careers' trying to outdo each other.Madox Ford being a Poet and novelist who had a hit before Hemingway was ever a household name.The thing that bugged Hemingway was Ford Madox Ford's halitosis. Supposedly Hemingway could not stand to be upwind of the guy. His breath,according to Hemingway was way out of bounds. Ford did have crooked teeth.Maybe Hemingway felt that was an easy way to take down Ford who he disliked due to Ford's being a success as a Novelist first.
Yeah yeah yeah.But back in the day it was SOP for male children to have their Photo taken dressed as if a schoolgirl.Don't forget that males wore bathing suits that seemed like what Ether Williams wore.Like in the movie - Some Like it Hot - {1958 } and funnyman Joe E. Brown.
Sorry but Novels are to Be Read.Period.It may have been neat when Orson Welles used the H.G. Wells' - War of the Worlds - Radio transmission to shock an entire Country with his Mercury Theatre On The Air Live telling. But Novels are at their best when digested personally by one's own facilities. Why then watch a movie over reading the book { of the same Title }.? Because Movies are The Best realization of the written word.Depending how good the author at bringing his words into the realm of dynamic telling.Often times a Book is better than the movie and conversely a movie better than the book. The best example is Stephen King.I'd say it's about 50/50 or a toos up with King.Half is movies are about as good as half his books. I think a good example is - Thinner - which is a really good movie.But the book was just as good.By the nom de plume ... Richard Bachman. - The Shining - was always a Great movie.Funny how over the years it went from being considered not such a big deal { the first 7-8 years of it's release } to a huge cult classic and a must see.
Very ... Very Sad news to report from the Novel front. As I recently bought { within the last 2 weeks } Harper Lee's long awaited Novel which I saw at Barnes & Nobel and decided to buy. More because I forgot all about it and was waiting since spring for it's release.I am in the middle of a very nice Dog book by Mark Levin : - Rescuing Sprite - which is short and simple.But just Lovely. I want to savor it.I have 2 other books I'm slowly trying to finish. More like half a dozen.I'll only stick with one book till it's conclusion if it moves me { Commands me }. While at the Doctors office today and picked up a few mags and one was an entertainment magazine.I quickly browsed thru and came across a an article on Harper Lee's new Novel. I was somewhat hesitant to read because I haven't opened mine yet. - * Go Set a Watchman - was graded at the bottom of the page as D+. I only read as far as to the point the reviewer stated that this version of the original { To Kill a Mockingbird } had The lead { Atticus Finch } as some kind of member of the KKK. I noticed that the Reviewer stated that Harper Lee at age 89 had suffered a stroke and was somewhat removed from reality most days.But she had her good days. I Now know what Happened. Around a year ago it was reported scantily that Harper Lee somehow found in her attic her old manuscript that she kept hidden and eventually forgot all about.The Sequel to - To Kill a Mockingbird -. She purposedly knew about it just forgot.Never intending to publish.Just that for some unexplained reason she found it and decided to it needed to eventually Go to Press. I think that was a Huge Lie.I am basing that on this single fact that this Reviewer graded it a D+ and that Atticus Finch was actually some active member of the Klu Klux Klan.This is Pure Stalinism.What this country is now being pervaded with.Distort reality and change history.Do whatever it takes to transform honor,dignity and integrity and tanish. Make small once highly fair and principled men like Atticus Finch,a true American heroic icon and smarmy his image. I wondered why after all these years Harper Lee would now,suddenly just happen on to an old original manuscript.Because it was all a set-up. These Unbelievables needed to find a way to Take down a character like Atticus Finch. No different than the almost speed of light it took to Smarmy the Confederate Flag and any venerated Confederate Officer.Going to such \ extreme as having their burial sites exhumed. * I wondered why the title was so quirky.Didn't fit.
Without giving away the plot, yes Go Set A Watchman is a disappointment. But then, who can ever equal Mockingbird? Still, it is worth reading.
From what I recall I think it may even have been written before - " Mockingbird " - or directly thereafter.So it won't be that difficult to sense if it's the same author. Or that the syntax is kind of off kilter.Dogs communicate thru sense of smell like the way they sniff bushes for other dogs urine trail. I tossed away my - To Kill a Mockingbird - paperback years ago. But I can easily browse thru another while at Barnes & Noble. That is ... until those Bureaucrats { Unbelievables } decide to start banning books. We are already in that Phase.To a modest degree.
