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_DictionaryGirl_

_DictionaryGirl_

NEWSWIRE

San Diego, CA

MAR 21, 2007 08:25 AM





So here's a nice little story for the morning:



I am writing this article from scenic Laptop-upon-Bed (because it's still early and cold), overlooking the picturesque sea of comic books, mismatched sneakers, and scattered loose-leaf papers that comprises my life. It's kind of a lifelong bad habit of mine, and while growing up it was never uncommon for my mother to burst through the door like the Kool-Aid Man and exclaim "It must take you fifty years to find anything in this mess!" All this time, I thought she was only hyperbolizing. (Seriously, I'd give any hard-target search in here a couple of hours, tops.) Now I know it was more of a cautionary tale: not what is, so much as shadows of what may be, should my actions remain unchanged.



Hella Haasse's "Sterrenjacht" ("Hunt for the Stars") was published as a serial in a newspaper in 1950, but the manuscript was lost.



However, Haasse, often called the "grand old lady of Dutch literature", cut out and kept all the installments.



"I have this incredible pile of paper at home -- and by chance I came across a stack of yellowed newspaper," she told Saturday's edition of the newspaper De Stentor.



She showed the work to her editor as a joke, but the company decided to publish it. It will be released in June.





You could choose to see Ms. Haasse's story as a tragedy, for living in conditions conducive to losing her own whole damn book for fifty-some years; I, however, see it as a triumph over the elements, and pretty much the greatest story I've ever read in my life. It's inspirational, like a kid on the junior high swim team reading about Greg Louganis coming out of retirement with some kind of triple-loop backwards dive technique he never thought he could do again. In addition, she has since written fifty other books and won tons of literary prizes. One has to wonder if her talent might have languished without the guilt of loss to drive her.



I'm about this close forwarding this link to my mother, but somehow I'm thinking she'd pick tragedy.



_DictionaryGirl_ is now convinced beyond all doubt that a tidy room is not a thing of beauty, but a hindrance to bringing out that tiger writing instinct!

kingdom

kingdom

I'm lost
August 2006

MAR 21, 2007 09:40 AM

"It has absolutely no literary ambitions," Haasse told the Volkskrant newspaper. "I had earlier translated a British thriller as a serial novel, so I knew the genre. 'Come on', I thought, 'I'll give it a try myself'."

i like your spin on it better than the actual story.

st_even

st_even

Milwaukee, WI
September 2006

MAR 21, 2007 10:43 AM

That is one kickass old lady.

J24U

J24U

Danvers, MA
February 2006

MAR 21, 2007 11:06 AM

So there is still hope of finding my old comic books somewhere? biggrin

Chainlink

Chainlink

Dickeyville, WI
August 2005

MAR 21, 2007 03:48 PM

Hella cool.

SockPuppet

SockPuppet

I'm lost
July 2006

MAR 21, 2007 04:09 PM

A similar story, in its way:


Shack's ... follow-up, Waterpistol, was recorded in 1991 at London's Star Street Studio. Shortly after the recording of Waterpistol was complete, the studio burnt down and most of the tapes were destroyed. The only remaining DAT of the album was in the possession of producer Chris Allison. At the time, Allison was in Los Angeles and when he returned, it transpired that he had left the copy in his hire car. It was only found weeks later after a frenzied search. However, by this point, Ghetto had folded so the record was without a distributor. Shack split, with Wilkinson joining fellow Liverpudlian John Power (formerly of The La's) to form the successful Britpop band Cast. ...

Waterpistol was finally released in 1995 on German independent label Marina to critical acclaim (for example, the NME described Mick Head as "a lost genius and among the most gifted British songwriters of his generation"), but negligible sales.



(quote from Wikipedia; accurate enough). Fine record smile

Karilynn

Karilynn

Minneapolis, MN
February 2007

MAR 21, 2007 05:33 PM

Awesome!

Skywisdom

Skywisdom

Portland, OR
December 2005

MAR 21, 2007 06:12 PM

I think it's completely a triumphal conclusion to a story, especially as it's being published; it must be very satisfying to tie up a loose end like that.

aleksa

aleksa

Tacoma, WA
April 2006

MAR 21, 2007 07:55 PM

I'm glad to hear other writers are as "organized" as I am. smile

MistressMissy

MistressMissy

Grand Rapids, MI
March 2003

MAR 21, 2007 08:01 PM

aleksa said:
I'm glad to hear other writers are as "organized" as I am. smile



There are SG members that DON'T have comics, clothes, shoes, random crap, etc strewn about their rooms?

d_day

d_day

San Bernardino, CA
July 2002

MAR 21, 2007 09:04 PM

I know it's not intentional, but this has to have increased the marketability of this work by a factor of ten.

DannyDMc

DannyDMc

Fargo, ND
July 2003

MAR 21, 2007 09:13 PM


Hmmm, I'd actually be afraid to find any of the stories I wrote as a kid in my room. My couse-your-own-adventure Megaman book must remain HIDDEN!!!!! biggrin

Ms_Magdalena

Ms_Magdalena

Minneapolis, MN
February 2007

MAR 21, 2007 09:32 PM

I can see my life veering much in the same direction. . . .

83 lost half-written/half-edited manuscripts found at random intervals years after they were begun.


I really need to be a better housekeeper =/