At least that's what my Mom says. I have been reading the works of Dalton Trumbo lately and she might be right.
For those that don't know, Trumbo was on of the "Hollywood Ten", a group of writer's who were blacklisted in the 1940's and 1950's for being suspected communists. A victim of the McCarthy era politics, Trumbo was imprisoned, impoverished and scorned for belonging to a political party he joined only for a few years and quit because be found the meetings were pointless and about as radical as Wednesday church readings.
Trumbo was an amazing novelist, screenwriter, poet, dramatist and intellectual. He went from making $75,000 a script to around $1,000 a script when blacklisted. He took many writing assignments during the blacklist just to feed his family, and could even turn out a script with a fellow blacklistee in less than 10 days (in days before fax and computer, they couriered the script back and forth. Trumbo often wrote dialogue for scenes that he didn't even know what was going to happen next in the story because that hadn't been couriered to him yet.) Trumbo and many of the other blacklistees were even nominated for Academy Awards under pseudonyms (Trumbo won in 1956 under the name Robert Rich for The Brave One)
While his novels and screenplays are, in my opinion, genius, it is not for these I fell in love with him. It is a book called "Additional Dialogue: Letters of Dalton Trumbo 1942-1962" that has me entranced. Copies of letters and excerpts of letters Trumbo wrote during that time give great insight into the man and what he was experiencing. It is also evidence of a truly great writer.
The art of correspondence has been lost, I'm afraid, amongst illiterate voice mails, tweets and test messages. But reading Trumbo's letters is a glimpse of a bygone era, when great men wrote great letters. Trumbo's letters are brilliant, with acerbic wit, cutting humor, charming affection for his wife and children, desperate appeals, and amazing insights. Let me tell you, that man could write a complaint letter that was basically an 'eff you' and make it sound incredibly erudite and humorous. I have laughed out loud, worried and fretted over situations and feel as though I have been formally introduced to his friends and family. (Mitzi, if you are ever in Vegas, call me, we'll do lunch.)
Now for the bad news and my appeal to you Loyal Readers. I got this book at the library, and they had to pull it from storage for me. I need to own this book, but internet searches have only revealed a few copies priced over $100. A little beyond my current used book budget. It will remain my life's mission to own a copy of this book. So if you are ever browsing a used book store and run across a copy (hardback or paperback, I'm not picky) and it is under $50, please purchase it for me and I will reimburse you. And if you ever get the chance to read it, please do so. No matter what your political beliefs this is an intimate look into a piece of history. And he was a professional baker for a while too, can you see why I love him? Of course, he's a dead guy who looked a lot like my grandfather, but he's still my literary dream man.
Oh, and the next time you watch Spartucus and see that famous scene where the slaves all proclaim "I am Spartucus!" ... Trumbo wrote that (based on the book by Howard Fast, gotta give credit, even though Trumbo himself was originally credited as Sam Jackson because he was still blacklisted.)
3 comments:
I'll keep an eye out for it. I'm sure I would enjoy reading it as well. I love books that are composed of letters, especially if they are well written.
You are so right in that letter writing is a lost art. Noreen and I occasionally write letters to each other but more often we fall into a daily email pattern and thus have nothing to write about.
If you get a chance, read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Although it is a work of fiction, it is done all in letters between the various characters and it is absolutely wonderful. When I finished it my first reaction was "I wish I could write letters like that." And the story it self is great. It is set on the Guernsey Island immediately following WWII and has a fabulous cast of characters. I read it for my book club and all of us loved it. I think you would, too.
I loved that book Maura! I so wanted to go to Guernsey after reading it.
Trumbo's letters are so well written. I stand in awe. But I'm going to try to write some correspondence like he did, even if I just post it here on the blog.
One of the reasons I love the Regency and Victoria Era's was the correspondence!! Those letters are such rare treasures and its sad how far from it we are these days...
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