INTERVIEW with MARX BROTHERS’ WRITER S.J. PERELMAN

Written By Terence Hawkins

I first heard of S.J. Perelman as an undergraduate, when I stumbled--I did that a lot, by the way--across a long collection of his short pieces.  Even though I had a healthy respect for my own ignorance, I was astounded that I'd never heard of him.  He was still alive, and though scarcely prolific, still actively writing.  

More importantly, among his earliest writing credits were the Marx Brothers' "Monkey Business" and "Horse Feathers".  From the thirties into the seventies, he was a regular contributor of brief, intricate, and hilarious pieces to the New Yorker.  He was also a tireless traveller, documenting his journeys through post-War Europe and Asia with his friend, caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.  Though his later work wasn't equal to the earlier, he was unquestionably the funniest American writer of the mid-twentieth century.

Recently I realized I had no idea of what he sounded like.  Thus I turned to the magical kingdom without copyright.  Above is the only live video of Perelman I've been able to unearth.  

 

Terence Hawkins

Terence Hawkins is an author and literary entrepreneur. 

His most recent novel, American Neolithic, was called "a towering work of speculative fiction" in a Year's Best review in Kirkus Reviews. "Leftovers" author Tom Perrotta said it is "a one of a kind novel. . . Terry Hawkins is a bold and fearless writer." Kevin Wilson, author of The Family Fang, said "American Neolithic is overflowing with ideas, the narrative running on overdrive at all times."

His first book, The Rage of Achilles, is a recounting of the Iliad in the form of a novel. Based on the Homeric text as well as the groundbreaking work of neuropsychologist and philosopher Julian Jaynes, it reimagines the Trojan War as fought by real soldiers, rather than heroes and gods. Richard Selzer called it "masterful. . .infused with all the immediacy of a current event."

Hawkins is also the author of numerous short stories and essays. His work has been published in Eclectica, Pindeldyboz, Poor Mojo's Almanac(k), and Magaera, as well as many other journals. His opinion and humor has also appeared in the New Haven Register and on Connecticut Public Radio.

In 2011, Terence Hawkins founded the Yale Writers' Conference. By 2015 it brought over three hundred participants from every continent but Antarctica to New Haven to work with celebrated writers including Colum McCann, Julia Glass, Colm Toibin, and Amy Bloom.

Hawkins now manages the Company of Writers, offering authors' services including weekend workshops and manuscript consultation. The Company also coaches first-time authors through the writing and submission process.

Terence Hawkins grew up in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town famous as the setting of Phillipp Meyer's American Rust. He is an alumnus of Yale University, where he served as Publisher of the Yale Daily News. He is married to Sharon Witt and lives in New Haven.

Hawkins is currently at work on another novel.

 

http://www.terence-hawkins.com
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