A friend of mine sent me a link to the complete works of Mark Twain and said he was reading through some of the essays and he couldn't believe how thoughtful and hilarious Twain was. It's been awhile since I dug into Twain. I think the last thing I read by him was Following the Equator, which was fantastic. I think it included his shark tale (tail?) that is a must read if you haven't done so. Perhaps it was in a different book but I'm not getting up to search it right now so Google it yourself.
Anyway, my friend and I were discussing my situation of sending in short stories and rejection letters popping up like outbreaks of herpes shortly thereafter. He told me he thought this essay, entitled "Helpless Situation," might help me out. It's about a lady who asks for Twain to use his clout to get her published. Pretty great stuff. Maybe I'll write a letter to Thomas Pynchon asking for his help. Any idea how I could get his address?
I actually found all this Twain talk somewhat coincidental because I was saving this fantastic letter from Twain to the Queen especially for Tax Day. Seems Twain wasn't keen on paying up. I certainly agree with that way of thinking. In the essay he writes, "But that is all I say; I stop there; I never pursue a person after I have got him down." I don't, however, agree with that way of thinking.
I should say something about The Pale King and its release but I'm pretty sure doing so would be like beating Eight Belles, so I'll leave you with this ironical (satirical?) video. Enjoy yourselves this weekend.
0 comments:
Post a Comment