Total Pageviews

Monday, December 18, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/18 - Tough Guys

Sometimes critical acclaim is puzzling. That's the case with Junot Diaz's short story collection Drown, which was first published in 1997. It consists of ten works, most from the point of view of a Dominican child whose father is working in the states, others from a young man dealing drugs in NYC and Jersey, and one from a young man who delivers pool tables and other recreational products. All are connected at least loosely. Although each has good moments, none is a satisfying whole. It has the feel of a writer trying to find his way, connect the parts. The most complete piece is the last, Negocios, which renders the father's history in greater detail. The prose is often puzzling, erratic. The dialogue is solid, though without quotation marks. Of course, Spanish terms are sprinkled throughout, something I always love. 274 readers at Amazon have rated Drown, forging to a consensus of 4.4 on a scale of five. The raves laud the accurate portrayal of Hispanics, the pans decry the stereotyping. I don't believe it's egregious in this regard. Many readers make the mistake of thinking a writer is describing an entire group instead of the just the characters in a story. That said, I'd rate Drown only two, and I don't believe that stems from professional jealousy. Junot has received many awards, including a Pulitzer Prize for his only novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. He has been published in the top literary magazines, including the New Yorker. He has one other short story collection and several essays to his credit. Whenever I read works I don't like that have garnered high praise in literary circles, it makes me feel as if I have no clue as to what constitutes good writing or story-telling. Perhaps Diaz's other two books are vastly superior to his first. Perhaps those who lauded it were lauding his potential. 

Last night the Sunday Night Noir series continued on Movies, 113 on Cablevision in NYC, with one of genre's best, Night and the City (1950), starring Richard Widmark in top form, and the lovely Gene Tierney. Directed by Jules Dassin, it hits all the right notes: story, location shooting (London), lighting, score and frantic pace. Widmark plays a hustler who challenges pro wrestling by promoting the real thing, Greco-Roman style. Of course, this means horning in on the territory of shady characters, which precipitates a downward spiral for the anti-hero. The cast features two actual wrestlers: two-time legit world champ Stanislaus Zbyszko, who was born in the 1880's in what is now Poland, and Mike Mazurki, born in the early 1900's also in what is now Poland. The latter had a long career as a movie tough guy, usually dumb, the antithesis of his real character. He earned a BA from Manhattan College. Before breaking into acting, he was a pro wrestler, and eventually founded the "Cauliflower Alley Club," a non-profit organization that awarded scholarships and financial assistance to retired or injured wrestlers and their families. Zbyszko, who studied law, philosophy and music, eventually made the move from legit to pro wrestling. He is credited with training superstars Johnny Valentine and Harley Race. His surname was adopted by Larry Zbyszko, one of the industry's all-time great heels. He appeared in only one other film, which was also about the "squared circle." The climax of Night and the City features a brutal impromptu match between Mazurski, 6'5" and Zbyszko, 5'8". Here are pictures of the two. Mazurski, who passed away at 83 in 1990, will be familiar to baby-boomers and film fans. Zbyszko died at 88 in 1967 (Facts from Wiki):



My thanks to the kind folks who bought books in English and Russian on what turned into a beautiful day.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)