Me with my sisters, Julie and Jane on my brother's deck in Pennsylvania -- 2005.
I have no idea why we look so STERN.
>>> THIS EMAIL EXCHANGE IS FROM THIS MORNING. I actually have a whole separate posting to write which I'll do next. I thought this illustrates some important mysteries and even resolution of ONE thing (I cannot be held responsible for Google/Blogger/CIA's formatting challenges -- which CONTINUE to be thrown at me -- sometimes AFTER I've already published a blog posting):
Hey Jane -- thanks for thinking of me. While I HAVE seen this article, your sending the link prompted me to look at it again, and I noticed something for the first time, Lahr's take on what he ended up doing, which is making "Happy-Happy" with Sewanee, the holder of Tennessee's rights:
It was 1994, and Mr. Lahr, the recently appointed drama critic for The New Yorker, had been called to the aid of Lyle Leverich, a former theater
producer and Williams’s chosen biographer. Mr. Leverich had two letters attesting to that fact. But Maria St. Just, a longtime confidante of Williams’s who became his iron-fisted literary guardian after his death in 1983, had steadfastly refused to grant permission to quote from any of his letters or journals, effectively holding the project hostage.
So Mr. Lahr started digging around. Lady St. Just — who “was neither a lady nor a saint nor just,” Mr. Lahr wrote in the acidic first line of his eventual 15,000-word New Yorker profile of her — had just died, and his dogged reporting of her sometimes comically highhanded machinations prompted the estate to cry uncle even before the article appeared.
“They wanted a happy ending for that embarrassing tale,” Mr. Lahr recalled recently by telephone from his home in London. “One of the things I’ve done that I’m most proud of is liberating Lyle’s book.”
Now, it is not clear exactly WHAT Lahr means by liberating Lyle's book (which I thought was written somewhat "club-footedly", from a literary-arts perspective -- but I read it when it first came out and that's been years ago, and I could be wrong). But Lahr is pleased that he lubricated things between Lyle Leverich and Sewanee, so that the book could be completed.
He DOES share Georges Borschardt as the literary agency that also handles Tennessee's performance rights (I believe that is the part they handle), with Sewanee, and John Uecker was CHRYSTAL CLEAR when he told me that during the train trip to the 2009 Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival, (although I might have the year wrong, and it was 2008), which concentrates on performance of the plays, he sat with Thomas Keith, who assured him that Sewanee had all the dirt on Lahr's homosexual affairs and would use that to force him to validate their lies.
I don't think they had to do that. I think Lahr always knew that he would have to validate a lot of lies regardless -- just to be able to work with Sewanee AT ALL. And I also think that Tennessee's death and disposal of estate have little to do with the great bulk of his work, which is what is actually important. I still expect to see Lahr did a GREAT job of that. While I am disappointed, I now see there was no other way for this book to come about. I've heard no more from Testosteroni regarding what he's read in it -- and that is perhaps BEST, since he and I often are interested in different aspects of things, so we might read it somewhat differently. I should have the book in about a week.
I DO think it odd that Amazon began shipping books to arrive on Sept. 5, SO MUCH EARLIER than the published release date of Sept. 22. They must have a sweet deal with Norton, the publisher -- or possibly even Sewanee (or if I'm in a paranoid mood -- with Testo).
I was amused that this forwarded email was sent to both you, "Kenan", and "Jane DDS Raleigh", which is no doubt coincidental that the dentist shares your first name. But it also reminded me that Julie's email address is "duffyjr3@verizon.net", but shows the name "Jane Kenan" -- like most email addresses, which are tied to a name by the person originating them. Why did Julie use YOUR name when she set it up -- or WHO would be tampering with it to change it??? -- and WHY ON EARTH would they want to do that??? Does Julie have a secret life that she hopes to pin on YOU??? Maybe I am the only one it comes through with YOUR name on it -- beats me!!!
It's just bizarre, and I hope there is a logical and innocent explanation.
There is only one case similar that I am aware of -- that of Robin-the-Writer in my writers group here in PV. And while it is not so unusual that he chose a Mexican name to show instead of his real name (I think this indicates he's had a few political battles of his own in the past so he's "shy" online), what amazes me is that ONCE and only once, it actually showed his real name -- instead of "Roberto Alverez".
I do want to thank you once again, for pushing me to apply for Disability, and for including that stack of my emailed blog posts as evidence of my "insanity". It felt like such utter disrespect at the time -- but I'd take EVERY similar indignity if they worked like that did in getting my case approved -- or others of my goals, rather than more jailings, beatings, poisonings, nut-house commitments, and being held hostage by Drug Mafia -- HA!!!
I do hope John Lahr will be comfortable about meeting with me in New Orleans next spring -- RIGHT NOW, long before I go to the New Orleans Tennessee Williams Festival then and there. By then, I hope to have lifted the false conviction in Chicago of LIBEL, although they might mount a HUGE resistance to me that delays things further.
Love,
Scott
On Tue, Sep 9, 2014 at 5:04 AM, Jane Kenan wrote:
You have probably already read this article but was sent to me and passing it on to you
To: Kenan, Jane DDS Raleigh
Subject: NYTimes: A New Tennessee Williams Biography
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/books/john-lahrs- biography-of-tennessee- williams.html?smid=nytcore- ipad-share&smprod=nytcore- ipad#100000003085538
“Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh,” a new biography by John Lahr, is to be published on Sept. 22.
Our Festival Program Book has hit the stands!
We really re-thought this year's catalogue. Now it reads like a magazine, with more thorough articles on the shows, plus an extended essay on this year's playwrights by Festival curator David Kaplan.
Click to read an advance copy online:
Scott
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