Stored in a Ziploc freezer bag marked “Sep. 8, 1909,” it is Ernest Hemingway’s first known fiction. Written when he was ten, the 14-page short story describes a trip through Europe. At first researchers believed it was factual. Then they realized the young man had not made such a trip. It was acquired by a couple who gladly accepted anything that belonged to "Papa" that his family did not want.
One of the instructions of the camera I received as a Christmas gift warns that the batteries should be taken out if one does not intend to use the device for a long time. Instead of doing that, I snap a picture each day. Here's a recent one:
Gazing at it, I recalled how I acquired that poster. It was 1981. I was 31 and had just graduated from bar-tending school and was assigned to work a party celebrating the publication of Brisburial, a play by Edward Pomerantz, which was performed off-Broadway. The gig amounted to pouring wine. No hard stuff was served. It was given at the upscale Rizzoli Bookstore in Manhattan. The only celebrity in attendance was Sylvia Miles, who was twice nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar: Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Farewell My Lovely (1975). When I said I admired her work, she replied, in her heavy New York accent: "Thank you, I admire yawzz." Born in 1924, she's still alive. When she returned for another drink, I referenced the Statue of Liberty line from Midnight Cowboy. I had the feeling she thought I was trying to pick her up. Anyway - Pomerantz was very nice to me. He gave me a signed copy of the book and the leftover bottles of wine. He has since been quite successful, writing the movie Caught (1996), which was based on his only novel, Into It, and starred Edward James Olmos and Maria Conchita Alonso. He also wrote other plays that were staged: A Tune Beyond Us, and the Electra: The Rewrite; two episodes of Law and Order (seasons three & four, co-credit); The Princess and the Cabbie, a CBS Television Movie starring Valerie Bertinelli; three After-School Specials, and more than 30 other commissioned screenplays and teleplays. He also runs workshops on screen-writing. He must be in his seventies. While I was working that night, I noticed two stacks of posters, the one above and another by a famous artist, Erte. I don't know why, but I thought they were being discarded, so I took one of each, rolling them up. I even asked a lovely woman at a register for a bag, which she gladly handed to me. I don't recall when it occurred to me that I'd actually stolen them. It was a weird feeling. Maybe my subconscious rationalized it because I'd just moved into my first apartment and I needed something for the walls. Here's the one by Erte, on which I'd inscribed a quote, since faded, by Norman Mailer from his novel An American Dream: "A great bitch delivers extermination to any bucko brave enough to take carnal knowledge of her."
I had to fight the temptation to drive to the old house and do my laundry. Who knows how long it would have taken to find a parking space upon my return - and how much shoveling clearing one might have required. Knowing I would run low on clean underwear, I've been searching stores for regular BVD's or Hanes. The only undies I saw were sporty and overpriced. Today I visited the dollar store on Coney Island Avenue and found reasonably-priced sporty ones, five bucks for three. Here's the package - pun intended:
The second proof copy of Present and Past was delivered last night, a great boost to my spirits during this spell of harsh weather that has put the floating book shop on indefinite hiatus. So far I've read 98 pages and found 12 errors. Since those corrections have to be made, I've also decided to eliminate those instances where the last word of a sentence is divided by a hyphen. I want that to be consistent throughout the book. I work on one chapter at each sitting, at least an hour between each to keep the mind as fresh as possible.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj
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Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
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Vic's 2nd Novel Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
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