Comments on: Kvetcher in the Rye http://stevecotler.com/tales/2010/02/03/kvetcher-in-the-rye/ One man's squint at the metaphorical signposts, songbirds, soapboxes, street musicians, and hot dog stands of life. Criticism, lyricism, polemics, performance, and making change...all with mustard. Sun, 13 May 2012 03:42:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Novita Donovan http://stevecotler.com/tales/2010/02/03/kvetcher-in-the-rye/comment-page-1/#comment-1573 Novita Donovan Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:38:38 +0000 http://stevecotler.com/tales/?p=3283#comment-1573 I don't remember any of this in Mr.Murray's English class so you guys are either brighter than I or have a better memory.Speaking of Mr. Murray, he was my daughter Kelley's guidance counselor when she attended Camarillo High School and I went into his office so I could say hi and I was so amazed because he was now this swinging(old word), mod,cool,man; nothing like he was in high school. I could hardly believe that he was the same man. He did tell my daughter about some paper I wrote and had forgotten about. It was great to see him. I don’t remember any of this in Mr.Murray’s English class so you guys are either brighter than I or have a better memory.Speaking of Mr. Murray, he was my daughter Kelley’s guidance counselor when she attended Camarillo High School and I went into his office so I could say hi and I was so amazed because he was now this swinging(old word), mod,cool,man; nothing like he was in high school. I could hardly believe that he was the same man. He did tell my daughter about some paper I wrote and had forgotten about. It was great to see him.

]]> By: Gene Carey http://stevecotler.com/tales/2010/02/03/kvetcher-in-the-rye/comment-page-1/#comment-1564 Gene Carey Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:37:39 +0000 http://stevecotler.com/tales/?p=3283#comment-1564 Dave, Very good to hear from you! I never read The Ninth Wave, even as a class assignment, but I did read On the Road (and many times since then), so I, for one, took your advice and am better for it. You are too generous in your memory of the story I wrote. I now remember that I was too shy to have that story read aloud in our class, but Mr. Murray allowed you to read it privately, and several years later you admitted you'd rewritten it for a class at SF State. I was flattered that you thought it worth reworking, and any "brilliance" must have been your contribution. I recently ran across my original story in some files my mother sent me, and your memory of the plot is very accurate. I was under the influence of both Conrad and Kipling at that time, but the primary inspiration was a book I'd read about a man who hunted jaguars in the jungles of Brazil. That seemed like my dream job at that age. All the best, Gene Dave,

Very good to hear from you! I never read The Ninth Wave, even as a class assignment, but I did read On the Road (and many times since then), so I, for one, took your advice and am better for it.

You are too generous in your memory of the story I wrote. I now remember that I was too shy to have that story read aloud in our class, but Mr. Murray allowed you to read it privately, and several years later you admitted you’d rewritten it for a class at SF State. I was flattered that you thought it worth reworking, and any “brilliance” must have been your contribution.

I recently ran across my original story in some files my mother sent me, and your memory of the plot is very accurate. I was under the influence of both Conrad and Kipling at that time, but the primary inspiration was a book I’d read about a man who hunted jaguars in the jungles of Brazil. That seemed like my dream job at that age.

All the best,

Gene

]]> By: David Rollison http://stevecotler.com/tales/2010/02/03/kvetcher-in-the-rye/comment-page-1/#comment-1563 David Rollison Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:48:41 +0000 http://stevecotler.com/tales/?p=3283#comment-1563 If memory serves me and I think it does, the chosen book was <em>The Ninth Wave</em>. Novita's wishes far outweighed mine in the general consensus in those days. It was a stupid book. But Mr Murray took me and a few others to his alma mater, Loyola University in L.A. to hear a lecture on <em>Catcher</em>. it was very cool. The professor had a student, dressed in a raincoat and hunting cap read passages from the novel that he was explicating. It was the first college campus I ever set foot on and I remember it was on a hill above the sparkling lights of Los Angeles. The ear story was a Conrad-like or Kipling-like tale, written by Gene, that involved a white bounty hunter in some unnamed African state seeking a black criminal. After a lot of cat and mouse, the hunter tracks the criminal to a jungle encampment and is able to take him out by aiming between his ears which are glowing from the campfire he sits before. The hunter is the narrator and he wears a shriveled ear on a lanyard around his neck. It was a fecking brilliant story. If memory serves me and I think it does, the chosen book was The Ninth Wave. Novita’s wishes far outweighed mine in the general consensus in those days. It was a stupid book. But Mr Murray took me and a few others to his alma mater, Loyola University in L.A. to hear a lecture on Catcher. it was very cool. The professor had a student, dressed in a raincoat and hunting cap read passages from the novel that he was explicating. It was the first college campus I ever set foot on and I remember it was on a hill above the sparkling lights of Los Angeles.

The ear story was a Conrad-like or Kipling-like tale, written by Gene, that involved a white bounty hunter in some unnamed African state seeking a black criminal. After a lot of cat and mouse, the hunter tracks the criminal to a jungle encampment and is able to take him out by aiming between his ears which are glowing from the campfire he sits before. The hunter is the narrator and he wears a shriveled ear on a lanyard around his neck.

It was a fecking brilliant story.

]]> By: Steve Cotler http://stevecotler.com/tales/2010/02/03/kvetcher-in-the-rye/comment-page-1/#comment-1562 Steve Cotler Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:17:56 +0000 http://stevecotler.com/tales/?p=3283#comment-1562 "The ear story"? “The ear story”?

]]> By: David Rollison http://stevecotler.com/tales/2010/02/03/kvetcher-in-the-rye/comment-page-1/#comment-1561 David Rollison Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:10:29 +0000 http://stevecotler.com/tales/?p=3283#comment-1561 If everyone took Rollison's advice, what a wonderful world it would be...Wonderful to hear from Steve as always but also wonderful to hear from Eugene Carey. Now I can confess that I rewrote the ear story and turned it in to Kay Boyle who had me read it to the class. It's not exactly plagiarizing since I had no access to the original except in my memory. It was a big hit at Sf State in 1963 (I--innumerate--think). Kay Boyle was the prof and Gordon Lish was one of the students. Hi Gene--back from the Alaskan Islands? If everyone took Rollison’s advice, what a wonderful world it would be…Wonderful to hear from Steve as always but also wonderful to hear from Eugene Carey. Now I can confess that I rewrote the ear story and turned it in to Kay Boyle who had me read it to the class. It’s not exactly plagiarizing since I had no access to the original except in my memory. It was a big hit at Sf State in 1963 (I–innumerate–think). Kay Boyle was the prof and Gordon Lish was one of the students.

Hi Gene–back from the Alaskan Islands?

]]> By: Steve Cotler http://stevecotler.com/tales/2010/02/03/kvetcher-in-the-rye/comment-page-1/#comment-1546 Steve Cotler Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:45:26 +0000 http://stevecotler.com/tales/?p=3283#comment-1546 <em>The Ninth Wave</em> by Eugene Burdick...a decidedly subpar novel. I wish we'd taken Rollison's advice. The Ninth Wave by Eugene Burdick…a decidedly subpar novel. I wish we’d taken Rollison’s advice.

]]> By: Gene Carey http://stevecotler.com/tales/2010/02/03/kvetcher-in-the-rye/comment-page-1/#comment-1545 Gene Carey Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:48:16 +0000 http://stevecotler.com/tales/?p=3283#comment-1545 Steve, This topic reminds me, in our 11th grade English class, Mr. Murray asked all of us to select a novel to study. I remember Novita Callen recommended The Ninth Wave<em> and Dave Rollison insisted we should read <em>On the Road</em>. There were probably other nominations that I've forgotten. What was the final decision? <em>The Catcher in the Rye</em> should have been the clear choice, but maybe everyone else had read it by then. Steve,
This topic reminds me, in our 11th grade English class, Mr. Murray asked all of us to select a novel to study. I remember Novita Callen recommended The Ninth Wave and Dave Rollison insisted we should read On the Road. There were probably other nominations that I’ve forgotten. What was the final decision? The Catcher in the Rye should have been the clear choice, but maybe everyone else had read it by then.

]]> By: Ladd Biggerstaff http://stevecotler.com/tales/2010/02/03/kvetcher-in-the-rye/comment-page-1/#comment-1544 Ladd Biggerstaff Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:23:51 +0000 http://stevecotler.com/tales/?p=3283#comment-1544 Perhaps you are a phony. Perhaps I am, too. Perhaps you are a phony. Perhaps I am, too.

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