re:
“Two New Old Books That Show Walt Whitman’s Different Selves”
New York Times Book Review
August 30, 2017
hi, Zack —
This review by Ted Genoways is okay, but nothing more. Why did it take the NYTBR so long to review [two hitherto lost works by Walt Whitman] “The Life and Adventures of Jack Engle” and “Manly Health and Training”?
I thoroughly disagree with James McWilliams (“Against Rediscovery: Why the ‘Lost Novel’ Phenomenon Hurts Readers,” Paris Review, May 22, 2017). In the case of a Whitman or James Joyce, the discovery of a lost work or fragment, or of a lost letter, is cause for rejoicing.
I also feel that Genoways gives Whitman’s lost works “Jack Engle” and “Manly Health and Training,” which you have unearthed — remarkably — shorter shrift than they deserve.
Best wishes,
Roger Smith
email to Zachary Turpin, September 3, 2017
Agree on all counts.
Glad (but not surprised) that you read the
review, Tom, and that you agree with me.
How about the discovery and publication of Dreiser’s “An Amateur Laborer,” a book
I couldn’t put down?