Why John Cheever's 'Journals' rank amongst the most intense literary documents
March 18th 2008 06:29
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Why John Cheever's 'Journals' rank amongst the most intense literary documents
'To disguise nothing, to conceal nothing, to write about those things that are closest to our pain; to write about my sexual clumsiness, the agonies of Tantalus, the depth of my discouragement - I seem to glimpse it in my dreams - my despair. To write about the foolish agonies of anxiety, the refreshment of our strength when these are ended; to write about our painful search for self, jeopardized by a stranger in the post office, a half-seen face in a train window; to write about the continents and populations of our dreams, about love and death, good and evil, the end of the world.'
John Cheever - 'Journals'
My first introduction to John Cheever (1912-1982) was when I saw a documentary about his life, some eight years ago. I was amazed at how frankly his three children and his widow Mary talked about their husband and father, about the love and pain, about the good days and the days filled with alcohol, fights and tears. Not long before his death John Cheever, 'The Chekhov of post-war American suburbia', discussed the publication of his Journals with his son Benjamin:
'A simpleton might think that bisexuality was the essence of his problem, but of course it was not. Nor was alcoholism. He came to terms with his bisexuality. He quit drinking. But life was still a problem. The way he dealt with that problem was to articulate it. He made it into a story, and then he published the story. When he discovered that he had written the story of his life, he wanted that published too. And I think the prospects of publication somehow lessened the fear of death. Suddenly death was an opportunity.' (Benjamin Cheever in the Introduction)
For me John Cheever is one of the best short story-writers of post-war America. He crept behind the facade of suburbia to explore the love and pain, the misunderstandings and fears that play such an immense role in our everyday lives. The publication of his Journals in 1991 made clear that the intimate details of his own life were maybe the best story he had ever written. No matter how intimate he gets, it is never embarrassing or dramatic. Above all the Journals are one of the most human documents of 20th century American literature. After I read the Dutch translation, I searched for the English original for years. Impossible to get it through any (American or English) bookstore in Amsterdam (it has become sort of a collectors' item), I already found three copies in Sydney's second hand bookstores. Couldn't resist buying all three of them.
The above lines could be seen as Cheever's personal motto. Don't hesitate to buy a copy if you come across one. And if that doesn't work, try 'The Stories of John Cheever'. You won't be disappointed.
John Cheever - 'Journals'
My first introduction to John Cheever (1912-1982) was when I saw a documentary about his life, some eight years ago. I was amazed at how frankly his three children and his widow Mary talked about their husband and father, about the love and pain, about the good days and the days filled with alcohol, fights and tears. Not long before his death John Cheever, 'The Chekhov of post-war American suburbia', discussed the publication of his Journals with his son Benjamin:
'A simpleton might think that bisexuality was the essence of his problem, but of course it was not. Nor was alcoholism. He came to terms with his bisexuality. He quit drinking. But life was still a problem. The way he dealt with that problem was to articulate it. He made it into a story, and then he published the story. When he discovered that he had written the story of his life, he wanted that published too. And I think the prospects of publication somehow lessened the fear of death. Suddenly death was an opportunity.' (Benjamin Cheever in the Introduction)
For me John Cheever is one of the best short story-writers of post-war America. He crept behind the facade of suburbia to explore the love and pain, the misunderstandings and fears that play such an immense role in our everyday lives. The publication of his Journals in 1991 made clear that the intimate details of his own life were maybe the best story he had ever written. No matter how intimate he gets, it is never embarrassing or dramatic. Above all the Journals are one of the most human documents of 20th century American literature. After I read the Dutch translation, I searched for the English original for years. Impossible to get it through any (American or English) bookstore in Amsterdam (it has become sort of a collectors' item), I already found three copies in Sydney's second hand bookstores. Couldn't resist buying all three of them.
The above lines could be seen as Cheever's personal motto. Don't hesitate to buy a copy if you come across one. And if that doesn't work, try 'The Stories of John Cheever'. You won't be disappointed.
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Comment by Harry
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Zoo Parent
I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for cheevers..