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idrownflowers's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75
such cute insight on the life of someone who loves a poet and his poetry so unwaveringly. might as well have called himself one too with the amount of eloquence and ingenuity that was poured into every letter so naturally. but the thing that kept me reading was how hilarious all of Schuyler's slights at the various editors who turned down Frank's submissions + the crude mentions of sex were, this book is so so funny it was such a pleasant surprise
but genuinely i find it fascinating how gay their inner circle was, i counted a total of maybe 4 straight people referred to by name and that was only because they were married to each other. the sentiment that queers always flock together no matter the decade or century rings true once again.. and it's evident in how consistently Schuyler expressed his affection for O'Hara albeit platonically; only a gay man could be so unafraid to detail to his friend the depths of his admiration this sweetly. i personally got a kick out of all the different greetings he would use in the salutations, my favorites being "Dear Kitten," "My wounded wood dove," and "Dear Boy,".
All in all, this book is a prime example of the beauty and uniqueness of friendships forged between two creative minds. Advice/updates on their writing projects was both asked for and given very frequently which shows the trust and mutual respect they had for one another as writers, despite me never seeing a word from Frank's own pen (and what a great shame that was). I feel an obligation to buy O'Hara's Meditations as soon as possible now that I know how Schuyler played a role in its making. I'll be sure to do it. I'll close off with my all-time favorite quote from this book, of when Schuyler was in Italy and Frank back in NYC:
"Oh baby, why aren't you here to help me spike the punch?"
but genuinely i find it fascinating how gay their inner circle was, i counted a total of maybe 4 straight people referred to by name and that was only because they were married to each other. the sentiment that queers always flock together no matter the decade or century rings true once again.. and it's evident in how consistently Schuyler expressed his affection for O'Hara albeit platonically; only a gay man could be so unafraid to detail to his friend the depths of his admiration this sweetly. i personally got a kick out of all the different greetings he would use in the salutations, my favorites being "Dear Kitten," "My wounded wood dove," and "Dear Boy,".
All in all, this book is a prime example of the beauty and uniqueness of friendships forged between two creative minds. Advice/updates on their writing projects was both asked for and given very frequently which shows the trust and mutual respect they had for one another as writers, despite me never seeing a word from Frank's own pen (and what a great shame that was). I feel an obligation to buy O'Hara's Meditations as soon as possible now that I know how Schuyler played a role in its making. I'll be sure to do it. I'll close off with my all-time favorite quote from this book, of when Schuyler was in Italy and Frank back in NYC:
"Oh baby, why aren't you here to help me spike the punch?"
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