THE JOHN O'HARA SOCIETY
On October 16, 1943, publication of "Walter T. Carriman." Pipe Night.
Pipie Night is a collection of thirty-one stories, of which "Walter T. Carriman" is the first. It never appeared in any magazine.
This is a straightforward, detailed description by an unnamed narrator of the life of one man who lived in the Philadelphia area, held several jobs, married happily and died from a heart attack at age forty.
THE JOHN O'HARA SOCIETY celebrates the life and works of John O'Hara, Pennsylvania's pre-eminent contemporary author and America's greatest short-story writer. The JOHS studies, publishes, and diffuses works by and about the author. Membership is free. For details, contact the JOHS's Corresponding Secretary, Richard Carreño, via Philabooks@yahoo.com. © MMXXIV John O'Hara Society.
1 comment:
Walter T. Carriman appeared in the New Yorker on October 16, 1943. It is not a straightforward description at all. The persona who is offering an alternate obituary is pompous, cliched, and clueless. His exaggeration creates a very funny portrait of Walter T. Carriman, which is eventually extended into a satirical burlesque of the average American. But as we read it more closely we see that the most devastating portrait is of the obituary writer himself.
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