Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 5/20 - Longings

Among the recent donations I’ve received was a modern classic I’d yet to read, Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio. First published in 1919, it endures, resonates because it is about a constant - the inner workings of mankind, the eternal questions, the search for meaning, the longing to break free. Although it is considered a novel, it is a collection of short portraits of the residents of a small fictional town tied together by the presence of an 18-year-old who works for the weekly newspaper. I was surprised by the unpolished prose, although I suspect it was intentional. The storyline is often bleak, too often, perhaps, almost completely absent of the great moments that make life worth living. I had to remind myself that it was not too far removed from how I viewed life in the first half of my span - third if I live long enough - before I realized the glass was half full. The insights are the book’s strengths. In the introduction to this edition, Jeffrey Meyers states the work is an argument against Puritanism, sexual repression. It is in part, but, as the post ’60’s sexual revolution has shown, the longing in the souls of humans is much more than sexual. The characters are as much bewildered by the mystery of life as I was, which I dub bittersweet. In the narrative they acknowledge only the bitter, and are frustrated they cannot express or define it clearly. Even at my lowest points I saw the great beauty that surrounds us. I was capable of laughter, although I might slip into serious reflection immediately afterward. Music, film, sports allowed me to escape the cruelty that so often characterizes existence. Even though Winesburg is populated chiefly by the poor and downtrodden, I expect a glimmer of hope, a spark of joy, however fleeting. I feel blessed that my work did not begin to see the light of day until I was 38. Most of it stares boldly into the scary, apparent meaningless of life, yet there are moments of exultation. I regret not having leavened my first novel, Close to the Edge, with a bit of humor. There are two brief scenes I wish I’d included to show the main character’s personality was not entirely downbeat. No work is ever finished. I think an artist can get to 99%, as I believe I’ve done for the most part, especially with Killing. I won’t rate Winesburg, Ohio. It has stood the test of time. In six years it will have lasted a century. Kudos, Mr. Anderson.

It was an interesting day at the floating book shop. Michael brought eight more novels in Russian, Madeline contributed 24 testosterone driven paperbacks, and a tall Russian gentleman donated three thrillers and bought three others, as he has often done in the past. My thanks to them and the others who bought, and especially to Jeanette, who paused from passing out leaflets advertising her husband's dentistry practice to purchase A Hitch in Twilight. I also was visited by Richie, a young man who grew up with author Bob Rubenstein's sons. He has not one but two interesting occupations. He is a secretary for a social worker by day, and at night plays guitar and sings to a man of 40 who has been in a coma for several years. He can definitely write a book. Alas, every silver lining contains a cloud. A manager for the apartment building where I set up most days asked if I had permission to conduct business there. I said I'd been doing it for three years without incident. I'm sure I'll be getting the boot. I won't fight it. After all, it is their property. I just hope she won't complain if I set up along the curb. I will miss not being able to use the ledge that surrounds the garden to display books. I'll have to work out of more boxes to condense the spread, as I do on the weekend. I've already alerted some of my regulars. Life constantly calls for adjustments.

Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3