Word: jupe
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Inklings has its share of moments. His protagonist, Jupe, 45, is a nice mixture of self-regard and self-loathing. He has convinced himself and his attractive, loving wife that "all the big books" have already been written. He feigns astonishment that "for the sake of some silly grabs at eternal life people would sacrifice secure jobs, loving families, decencies and proportion." Jupe finds such behavior vain and cannot keep himself any longer from imitating...
...long as this anti-hero is kept rattling around, Manhattan, the novel remains a kind of manic satire. Jupe moderates a panel discussion during the convention of Writers Inc. (a "United Nations of literary bureaucrats"); his colleagues include a writer who is making a fortune from confessional books about himself and an author who has sold out splendidly to television. Everyone makes a proper fool of himself, especially Jupe. Elsewhere, Jupe proposes some revisions in the National Book Awards so that every entrant would win something: "There would be awards for The Best Biography of a Man Born on June...
...When Jupe goes off to Maine to write his novel, things turn awfully serious and seriously awful. An ex-student from one of Jupe's creative-writing classes tracks him down. Jupe had once told the young man that he had talent; as a private joke, he had told everybody in the class the same thing. Now, the student has 15 beer cases full of his handwritten novel and a gun to keep Jupe's attention from wandering. Messages begin to loom at this point. Jupe must be taught that Words Have Meaning; he must experience at first...
...somber contrast to all the antics. One beautifully staged moment occurs during an episode when one gent is musing over the reported infidelity of his wife. As the lights dim over wafting cigar fumes, another gentleman emerges from the wings to deliver a visceral rendition of "Vesti La Jupe" from Pagliacci. All of these tunes were written during the period 1894-1905, and the names of such luminaries as Victor Herbert and Davis Belasco appear in the credits...