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Joe Gould's Secret is a 1965 book by Joseph Mitchell. The book details the true story of the titular Joe Gould, a writer who lived on the streets of Greenwich Village in the first half of the 20th century. He was an eccentric, bridging the gap between bohemianism and the beat generation, though he was an outspoken critic of both. This criticism alienated him from the social circles of poets, authors, and artists of his time, and instead he focused on documenting the history of what he called the "shirt-sleeved multitude".[1] Joseph Mitchell (July 27, 1908 - May 24, 1996) was a American writer who wrote for The New Yorker. ...
The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
Non-fiction is a truthful account or representation of a subject which is composed of facts. ...
The Vintagers, after a miniature of the Dialogues de Saint Gregoire (thirteenth century)—manuscript of the Royal Library of Brussels. ...
See also: 1964 in literature, other events of 1965, 1966 in literature, list of years in literature. ...
Joseph Mitchell (July 27, 1908 - May 24, 1996) was a American writer who wrote for The New Yorker. ...
The Washington Square Arch Greenwich Village (pronounced Grennich Village; also called simply the Village) is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern) Manhattan in New York City. ...
Though a Bohemian is a native of the Czech province of Bohemia, a secondary meaning for bohemian emerged in 19th century France. ...
The term Beat Generation refers primarily to a group of American writers of the 1950s. ...
Plot
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. By observing the lives of those around him and recording the goings-on, Gould set about compiling an exhaustive record of modern life he called "Oral History". He claimed that oral history held more truth than the formalized history of textbooks and professors, as it gave voices to the lower classes that were representative of true humanity.[1] In the 1920s, Gould had small portions of his "History" published in magazines, but in the years that followed he became more secretive and eccentric. He was well-known among the local shopkeepers, artists, and restauranteurs, many of whom gave him handouts of money or food in support of his project.
Mitchell met Gould in 1942 and wrote a profile of him for The New Yorker, entitled "Professor Sea Gull". The first part of Joe Gould's Secret is made up of this profile, from Gould's graduation from Harvard University in 1911, leading up to the writing of his "Oral History", said to be composed of 20,000 conversations and 9,000,000 words. The second part of the book is a more personal memoir of Mitchell's experiences with Gould, their eventual falling out, and his discovery of Joe Gould's secret: that the "Oral History" did not exist. The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry, and fiction. ...
Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ...
Gould suffered from writer's block and hypergraphia; while to those around him he appeared to be taking constant notes—a notion he was happy to reinforce—he was, in fact, re-writing the same few chapters dealing with seemingly trivial events in his own early life. He had filled countless notebooks with edited versions of these events, evidently searching for meaning in the revisions.[1] Out of respect, Mitchell waited several years after Gould's death to reveal the secret. He wrote the second article in 1964, and combined it with the original article in book form in 1965. Ironically, Mitchell was plagued with writer's block for the next three decades, and was never able to publish another book. Writers block is a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to continue writing, usually due to lack of inspiration or creativity. ...
Hypergraphia is an overwhelming urge to write. ...
Film adaptation -
In 2000, the book was made into an independent film starring Ian Holm as Gould and Stanley Tucci as Mitchell, with supporting roles played by Susan Sarandon and Steve Martin. Joe Goulds Secret is a 2000 film based on the 1965 book by Joseph Mitchell. ...
Sir Ian Holm Sir Ian Holm CBE (born 12 September 1931), born as Ian Holm Cuthbert, is an English actor. ...
Stanley Tucci (born November 11, 1960 in Katonah, New York) is an American film and television actor. ...
Susan Sarandon (born October 4, 1946) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ...
Steve Martin (right) with Scooter, on The Muppet Show Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, musician, and composer. ...
References - ^ a b c Joseph Mitchell (1965). Joe Gould's Secret. Vintage Press. ISBN 0-375-70804-9.
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