Lipton’s Journal/Correspondence of Robert Lindner and Norman Mailer/June 7, 1954: Difference between revisions

About ''The Fifty-Minute Hour'',{{refn|Each chapter of Lindner’s 1955 book is a case study of one of his patients.}} I guess I’ve written it off now. Lerner’s preface,{{refn|Journalist and educator [[w:Max Lerner|Max Lerner]] (1902-1992) wrote the preface to ''The Fifty-Minute Hour''.}} as I said, is terrific. He’s done exactly what I hoped—described the book as writing in a new literary genre, and emphasized the intrinsic excitement of the stories. [Rinehart editors] Ted{{LJ:Amussen}} and Dudley [Frasier] feel there is a chance of having a selling success—for a change—and I’m sure that if Ivan [Von Auw] brings off the ''Harper’s'' thing, we’ll get off to a good start. The “concerning” part—at least until reviews come in—is over. But it isn’t over for me (curiously, do you think?) about your book. I find I get more exercised about ''Deer Park'' than about my own book. Your report about the conference with Stan{{LJ:Rinehart}} and Ted was much too brief; I hope you’ll expand when you write. What irks me is this: that the reaction of Stan is likely to be the reaction of any publisher I can think of (did you say this or am I being bright?), and at least at Rinehart’s you have a friend at court. It has probably taken courage for Ted to stand up for you as he did. But what’s to be done? Will Stan give the book what it should have if he continues to feel the way he does? Does it really matter? And then I’d like to ask you about your own feelings regarding the two scenes that seem to be the big thorns for Stan. I recall when I read the orgy scene, I told you it left me with a feeling of dissatisfaction. I thought your own doubts about it were showing at that time, and I remember saying that I thought you should either do it or forget it. Now I think it would be a serious artistic error (and a compromise that might harm you) to drop the scene; but I do believe it has to be really written, in detail, full orchestra. (Of course, I don’t know if you’ve done more with it since I saw the manuscript in January.) As for the Teppis scene,{{refn|Depiction in ''[[The Deer Park]]'' of Herman Teppis, a Hollywood producer, getting a blow job. It caused Rinehart to cancel publication of the novel.}} when we talked about it last time you convinced me it was essential stat. I remain convinced—the scene is tightly and intrinsic (if not, perhaps, entirely necessary) to the portrait of T. But on this I’d bet a house Stan can be convinced.

{{Notes}}