Among the many book donations I’ve received the past few months, there was The Poor Whore and the Chinese Queen by Richard Mills, a collection of ten short stories. There is no publisher listed in it, nor is there a publication date, or author bio. I assume it was self-published at a local printer. The stories were published previously in literary magazines of note, i.e. The Massachusetts Review, Sou’wester, crazyhorse, Dalhousie Review and Descant. None of the 50+ stories I’ve had published found their way into such prestigious journals. His track record is even more remarkable given the length of some of the pieces, which run more than 30 pages. I’d guess they began appearing in the 80’s, as one of the titles is Since Tito Died. The former Yugoslavian leader passed in 1980. I googled Mills’ name and came up empty. I searched the title of the book and was unable to find it listed anywhere. Like me, Mills must have had a grand literary ambition. I would guess that his major influence was James Joyce, particularly the poignant novella, The Dead. Apparently, his family emigrated from Ireland to rural Canada when he was five. Almost all the stories touch on this in some way. The main themes seem to be isolation and the unfortunate disconnect between humans, even family members. The characters are genuine. The scenarios do not veer from ordinary life, the mystery of it, the sadness that dogs people despite the vast beauty around us. It is existentialism in terms anyone with patience would understand. He may have gone to college in California, and eventually settled in London after traveling extensively in Europe. Was he gay? The title piece is a visit between two males, one who fondly recalls his cross-dressing. Another story hints at it, but the other eight do not and the protagonists are involved with women. Throughout the book, there are corrections in ink. Were they made by the author, a lover or friend? I’ve frequently said that no work is ever finished. An artist may get to 99%, but he will always find flaws or omissions. And so the mystery - what happened to Mills? Did he pass away, perhaps of AIDS? Did he simply give up the literary quest, which seems unlikely, given his breakthroughs? Perhaps he grew old or resisted the advantages of the digital age. I am fairly certain that I would have given up the quest if not for the personal computer. There are so many options available these days, especially to writers who don’t mind thinking small. Of course, almost all dream of a breakout, which is more possible today, although the odds are still long. Before the digital age, trying to get published was exasperating, more like banging one’s head against the wall. Now, almost anyone can get into print. Is that better than the selectiveness of the old way? My opinion is biased.
I accompanied a friend to the doctor today, and it turned into a marathon, but I got paid for it and had a free lunch, so I dare not complain about not being able to operate the floating book shop. The only bad thing, really, is that it appears this will have been the best weather day of the week. I'll need to get lucky with parking tomorrow to be able to sell books in the cold.
Visit Vic's sites:
Vic's Third Novel (Print or Kindle): 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
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