James Purdy

James Otis Purdy 

17  de Julho de 1923 a 13 de Março de 2009

(Feliz Aniversário)

Escritor, poeta e dramaturgo que abordou regularmente 

temas homossexuais nas suas obras, 

como em Eustace Chisholm and the works.

SV: I don't think they realize the amount of sacrifice 

involved in any kind of creativity.

JP: Oh, they realize nothing. Most journalists are broken 

down alcoholics, you know. Publishers, too, seem to 

be in an alcoholic haze most of the time. Well, the 

publishers have no idea what a writer is. None whatsoever! 

The public is totally illiterate in America. It can't read at all. 

It's absolutely insensitive to words. And to vision. 

Feeling is taboo, also, especially in New York. I read in some little 

magazine the other day that The New Yorker and 

The New York Times were sclerotic, meaning you know, 

"completely turned to rock." The critics here are that way.  

They have no heart or mind. They're automatons. 

They are frightened to death of any writing like 

mine which begins deeply inside and comes from within. 

They only want the outside.  They think that is reality. 

The outside. Their writing is all about what you 

see when you look out a window. It's reality. If you 

count numbers, and then, according to them, you should 

be so interested in the social conditions. Well, they 

don't know anything about the human being, let alone social 

conditions.  You see my books are really all underground 

in that they are about something people don't want 

to hear expressed.  And though the critics would 

like to carry them off to the shit-yard, they can't 

seem to get rid of them, because they haunt people. 

Even someone who's read only one story—they never 

forget that story. I've had people say, "Well, that's the 

only story by you I've ever read. I'm not strong 

enough to read any more, but I will never forget it.  

Well, they may read these other best sellers, 

too, but they can't even remember their names.

SV: Wasn't Malcolm a best seller?

JP: No. Never. None of my books are best-sellers. 

The paperback version of Malcolm goes on selling, 

partly because Edward Albee put it on the stage. 

In fact, the only thing that's kept me alive is the 

books that are in paperback. People find them, 

they like them, and they pass them on.