Letters

Still Misses Matt
Richard – I have been an O’Hara fan since junior year in high school in 1976 when an English teacher at Episcopal Academy had us read Appointment at Samarra. I grew up in Philadelphia and went to Lafayette College and Dickinson Law School (now Penn State Law School) so much of what O’Hara wrote about –his Region, Philadelphia, New York – was all very familiar to me. I think I have read everything JOH has written (many several times over), all of the biographies and some of literary criticism. I wrote Mr. Bruccoli after having read the JOH Hollywood book he did and thanked him for it sort of on a whim because to this day it bothers me that JOH is not in most bookstores even “literary” bookstores but with the Hollywood book JOH was still in print. I had read a number of Mr. Bruccoli’s other books on JOH, Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, Wolfe etc and always admired his work. He was very gracious and responded to my assertion of JOH as the best American short story writer as forwarded to you (I personally think there is not even a legitimate argument for Hemmingway/Fitzgerald doesn’t have comparable volume although his short stories are excellent/Salinger isn’t even in the conversation/Poe is perhaps the only 19th century contender/ BTW I agree with Mr. Bruccoli that in the English language Maugham is in the hunt as his short stories are superb)… I have to dig thru my email further as Mr. Bruccoli and I discussed meeting in NY but it never came to pass as I believe his illness was diagnosed shortly thereafter. Absolutely count me as a member as well as my son Kevin (26). By all means print Mr. Bruccoli’s email to me with his observations about JOH. I was honored to receive his reply and am sorry to this day that we never got to have our NY dinner. It would have been a great evening listening to someone as knowledgeable as him talk about JOH. Look forward to meeting you before too long.


Kind regards,
Andy Ryan


Contact us at JohnOHaraSoc@yahoo.com. We're always looking for contributors and comment. Join the conversation! © 2012 Writers Clearinghouse Est. 1976 @ Fabyan, Connecticut.

Robert Knott Reports...

Robert and Jenny Saliba, left, and Robert Knott

... On AGM in Princeton

The John O’Hara Society’s Annual General Meeting was held January 28th in the Yankee Tap Room of the Nassau Inn in Princeton, NJ. In attendance were Robert Saliba, Jenny Saliba and Robert Knott.


Discussions and proposals included:

-The Summer Meeting: The date for a summer meeting in New York City for July 21st.

-Meeting Format and Location: In an effort to increase participation and stimulate discussion of O’Hara it was proposed that the Society would select a book for discussion each year and a portion of our meeting would be dedicated to discussion of title. THE LOCKWOOD CONCERN was proposed as the first in this series. Discussion could commence at the July meeting and continue at the January, 2013 meeting, at which time a new title would be selected.


In addition, it was proposed that at least one meeting a year include a presentation or program by a member of a paper, a travelogue or some personal impression on the works of O’Hara (or related topics). To kick this off, Robert Knott is willing to present a paper he wrote in college assessing O’Hara’s works.

Considering these changes in format, the need for a quieter and more appropriate meeting space was identified. Members would love to hear any suggestions for appropriate venues in New York, Princeton, Philadelphia and elsewhere that might include restaurants with small private rooms or library, church and school spaces that do not charge a fee.

-The New Website: Plans to upgrade the Society’s web presence proceeded with discussion of the Society adopting a template similar to that of the Richard Yates Society. Robert Saliba & Robert Knott volunteered to review template options and develop copy and content for the new format, potentially including Robert Saliba’s John O’Hara calendar.

It is hoped that members (or willing friends and acquaintances) with technical expertise will volunteer to help launch the site and transfer/archive content from the existing site.

Be There Or Be Square

JANUARY 28!

Contact us at JohnOHaraSoc@yahoo.com. We're always looking for contributors and comment. Join the conversation! © 2011 Writers Clearinghouse Est. 1976 @ Fabyan, Connecticut.

Harrisburg Hails O'Hara

Photo: Writers Clearinghouse/Joan T. Kane

O'Hara Gets His Due in Penn State Capital


O'Hara Society member Christine Goldbeck of Middleton, Pennsylvania, right, lectured 11 November on the Master and A Rage to Live, set in a fictional Harrisburg. With her is member Erica Ramus from Pottsville and Society facilitator Richard Carreno of Philadelphia. Also present was Pal Joan T. Kane of Philadelphia, above seated. After Christine's lecture, about 75 attendees gathered for a screening of the 1965 film A Rage to Live inspired by the book. The lecture was held at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore as part of the Second Annual Harrisburg Book Festival. Carreno also represented @philabooks|booksellers, an on-line bookshop that specializes in books by and about John O'Hara.

Goldbeck Lectures November 11

A Rage to Live Gets
Harrisburg Home-town Treatment

Friday, November 11th
At the Midtown Scholar Bookstore:

6:30-7:30 PM: “John O’Hara’sHarrisburg”: Christine Goldbeck discusses the best-selling 1949 novel A Rage to Live.

An award-winning writer and artist, Goldbeck is the author of a short-story collection entitled A Tribute to O’Hara and Other Stories (2000). She has lectured on how “All Writing is Regional” at centennial celebrations for John O’Hara, and she developed Pennsylvania high school curriculum materials on how “O’Hara Works Endure Time, Criticism.” The owner of Arts on Union in Middletown, PA, since 1989, Goldbeck received an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College. As Executive Director of the PA House of Representatives’ Urban Affairs Committee, she daily tackles issues like land reform, blight, urban planning, housing, and poverty. She has extensively examined how living in Pennsylvania inspired John O’Hara’s stories:

"O’Hara did for northeastern Pennsylvania, and particularly the hard coal region, what writers before him, such as Sherwood Anderson, who wrote “Winesburg, Ohio” had done; he recorded the social history of a place and time. In addition to Schuylkill County, he also wrote New York City, Hollywood, and Pennsylvania’s Dauphin County, home to Harrisburg, the state capital, which O’Hara named Fort Penn, into his novels. His stories are social history lessons that chronicle the lives and times of people in the early part of the 20th century. To read O’Hara is to know, beyond doubt, what people wore, where they worked and how much they earned, to which clubs they belonged, what kinds of automobiles they drove and what games they played."

Evening in Samarra at Yale

The Show Will Go On

Hi Richard
Sorry I won't be seeing you at Yale this weekend. If any of the Society members are able to make the trip, the details for the show: Saturday Oct 15th, Sudler Hall 7:30.
I'll be staying over at the Quinnipiac Club so perhaps that could be a spot for drinks after the performance. Any questions, my cell# 416 875 0405.
Thanks so much for posting!

Best,
Jonathan Higgins

O'Hara Gets Academic Respect

School Librarian Suggests The Master

 

Check it out: Appointment in Samarra

by John O'Hara (1934) - NYSUT United - September 16, 2011

Recommended by: Kathy Fester, NYLA member and former school librarian at Southside High School, where she was a member of the Rockville Centre Teachers Association.
Suitable for: High school students
Why I chose it: This novel has a frank depiction of "middle America" during Prohibition Era and the Jazz Age, showing the fall of an upper-class middle-aged man within a few critical days. O'Hara is easy to read, has great character development, and shows today's high school students that what they are often curious about (peers, sex, drinking) was common to their great-grandparents' era.
What I like best: The book is easy to discuss, with its written portrayals of class, society, family structures, unions, coal-mining, speak-easy life, mention of radio and news of the time. Note that O'Hara's books present mature topics including, sexuality, addiction, violence and gangs, using the slang and language of that period. Once students start reading this author (best known for his book "BUtterfield 8"), they will continue!
How teachers can use this book: It is perfect for cross-curricular English/ social studies for this time period of American history in the 20th century. Readers can visit the John O'Hara Society at http://oharasociety.blogspot.com. Also, check out http://www.libraries.psu.
"Check it Out" features books recommended to teachers and parents.

Submitted by Dr. Charles Epstein, from New York State University teachers magazine.

Contact us at JohnOHaraSoc@yahoo.com. We're always looking for contributors and comment. Join the conversation! © 2011 Writers Clearinghouse Est. 1976 @ Fabyan, Connecticut.