Fiction Friday (73)

Now that grad school has officially ended for me, I've had a little more time to read books of my own choosing, and considerably less scholarly journal articles. I've actually read another book before the one below, but haven't had the right frame of mind to give it a proper review (which will come soon). This is a book I've been wanting to read for a long time, but an author that I really admire and who was a big influence on the modern novelists that emerged in Paris during the first half of the last century. This is probably more accessible than some of his other works, so if you're looking to explore his writing, this is not a bad place to start. Enjoy.

Gold by Blaise Cendrars
(Marlowe & Company, 1960)

Gold is a deceptively thin first novel by the pioneering, and widely forgotten but influential Swiss/French author. Though it's not long in length, it surely covers a lot of area in its depth. In many ways, it follows the the early 20th century trope of a rags to riches story, but in typical Cendrars fashion, it turns that trope on its head.

This is one of the earliest attempts at Historical Fiction that I'm aware of, as it takes the life of the real John Augustus Sutter, a pioneer in California and the discoverer of gold that led to the famed Gold Rush of '49. Cendrars portrays Sutter's life as more tragic than it actually was as a way to strengthen the themes of the novel centered around fate, justice, and the futility of fighting against the first or for the latter. 

Sutter had come to America as a penniless immigrant, and eventually makes his way to the violatile land of California where he establishes several successful enterprises on a huge swath of land granted to him by the Mexican government (then controllers of California). By the time California is part of the U.S., Sutter is on the verge of becoming the richest man in the world...and then gold is discovered on his vast properties. When the discovery leaks to the rest of the world, it spells the ruin for Sutter, who watches all he built quickly taken over by the flood of people coming to search for gold and build towns and cities on land that was rightfully his. 

Fully engrossing and surprisingly moving.

Hollywood

Naturally the first thing I did in L.A. was spend a few hours, and a few hundred dollars, at Amoeba Records on Sunset Blvd, also known as the best record store in the world. Then I found myself with some time to kill, so I started to wander and quickly found myself stepping on the stars. Though I've been to this town a few times before, I've actually never crossed paths with this landmark. I figured it was worth a stroll, and to give myself a purpose, I decided I would keep walking until I found Shirley Temple's star.

Long time readers might remember this post from two years ago discussing the queen of child starlets. As a pop culture figure, she's always held a special place in my imagination. It seemed like a good enough reason as any to begin my walk. Well, that little scamp was difficult to find. I strutted up one block, then two, then more, snapping photos of Michael Jackson, Buddy Holly, George Harrison, Jack White and of course, Lawrence Welk, who very well might be my great grandfather (long story). After seven or eight blocks, I'd just about given up. I headed back toward my car and then, in a burst of California magic, there she was. 

I felt like I'd accomplished something. The winds of fate have changed once more to blow in my favor. That's the state of mind only Los Angeles can inspire. So thanks Curly Top...now take your bow.

Fears & Superstitions

What better day than Friday the 13th to talk about fears and superstitions? I have lots of them. It's never to the point where it interferes with my daily life, but they are certainly a part of my daily life. Just so you know what I'm talking about, here's a airing of grievances I have with reality:

Fears

* Bugs - the flying and the creepy crawly kind. I hate bugs. An ant invasion in the house kept me sleeping poorly for months last year. Palm-sized waterbugs in an apartment kept me restless the entire summer of 1995 in NYC. A see-through mutant gummy-looking spider that I saw in the bathroom of my 89th Street Apartment still gives me the shivers...but that's because spiders are the worst with their spidery way of moving. A close second is Bees. A bee comes near me and I make a fist. Though, I've tried to make peace and we have a tentative truce at the moment. I've negotiated a settlement with the spiders as well during the Ant Wars. We are uneasy allies like France and the UK in the big one.

* Bad Luck - I fear luck changing to misfortune. I'm a firm believer in luck and that luck is not something you can make. I've had incredible runs of good luck in my life and some relatively short stretches of bad luck. More than anything, I fear a long stretch of bad luck. Years of bad luck? *shudder* And there's nothing you can do about it except wish. Which brings me to...

Superstitions

* Wishing - this is sort of like a religion for me, something that developed from my childhood and simply strengthened over time. I make wishes on eyelashes. I wish when the clock strikes 11:11 (I also do 1:11, 2:22, 3:33, 4:44, 5:55, 10:10 and 12:12- but 11:11 has the most magic in it). I will wait by the clock if I see it a minute or two before one of these numbers, simply to make a wish. I throw pennies in fountains. I wish on shooting stars, luckily I live in a place where they are semi-frequent. I try (and mostly fail) to say "Rabbit, Rabbit" the first thing upon waking up on the first of any month. Oh, and I cross my fingers a LOT. I always take notice whenever someone says "Oh that's supposed to be good luck" and usually incorporate it into my religion.

To any reader of my books, either my novels or children's books, none of this will come as a surprise as these traits often find their way into my characters. A writer has to use their own insecurities, fears, and insanity to their advantage. These are your raw materials and you must mine them.