| Show I C A WRITERS WRITER'S PURGATORY Da Dawn Powell vell Novelizes Life in Ohio Even Though She Hates and Fears Middle West West- A novelist writing about something something something some some- thing that she hates and fears more than anything else in the world world- that is rather hard to imagine Isn't It Yet that is Just what Dawn Powell has been doing f for r something something some some something thing like hike ten years ears And what's more more she has made a huge success success of tho the venture The following article article arti arti- cle do by Harry in the New NewYork NewYork NewYork York World orld lets us' us in on some ot of the secrets of ot Miss Powells Powell's success suc sue Success cess Dawn Powell hates hales and fears th the middle west That's why she has nas been writing novels no about it She has been living in New York fortea forten for forten ten tea years She loves loes it she finds it charming she will not write a novel about it The conclusion is obvious She writes fiction about the scenes she fears and hates the scenes that trouble her blood and torment her Her childhood memories memories mem mem- ories Ones bind and fetter her She writes novels in a subconscious effort to cut these strong psychic cords to free herself forever of ot the tho nightmarish nightmarish nightmarish night night- marish Influence which the past ex cx- ex- ex erts When she shall have ceased to write about the small towns and the farms of ot Ohio she will have at attained attained at- at tamed the spiritual health which may spell serenity for the person Dawn Powell but death for the artist artist art art- 1st in her which Is at odds with what has been is and may be A Anew Anew Anew new new obsession will take the place of the old and Miss Powell will resume resume re resume re- re sume the process of spiritual purgation purgation purgation pur pur- gation by Way vay of writing novels a process recalling that of ot SIs Sisyphus who had to roll a stone up a n. hill but jut was destined never to reach the summit Miss Powell has written two novels novels novels nov nov- els She Walks i in Beauty and Bride House both a about out the I middle west The night after her first book came out she had a I nightmare People rushed in and asked what had happened I r 1 dreamed I got pushed onto a train I going west she gasped I 1 dreamed I had to go back and stay there Even a feeble imagination can re reconstruct reconstruct reconstruct re- re construct something about Miss Powells Powell's past from that incident and maybe something about Miss Powell too She has begun a third novel also about the horrible middie middle middle mid mid- dle die west but this is to be about a aa factory a or tow town Some Sonic da day she he saw said 1 i 1 i would love to open a book by Miss Powell and find it was about pioneer life Ilfe in New Jersey Jerse or some other place completely strange and glamorous like that Miss Powell h has s written ritt n two plays Women at 4 and The Part Party both of ot them about New York ork Then Miss Powell can write about New York 1011 without hating and fearing it Yes she explains plays about New Nev York come easily and require only brainwork Novels ask for more and take more emotionally emotionally emotionally emotion emotion- ally out of ot her She could not we suppose write a play about the Ohio scenes she knows so well and hates so deeply I had heard of fear and hatred as ns motive forces but I had never realized that they could constitute constitute constitute con con- motive forces toward creative crea crea- tive Live ends I say creative ends because b ause Miss 1 novels have received high praise from high places What did she think of the unanimity of the praise and of the superlative manner manner man man- ner ncr in which it was expressed Th That t question evoked a characteristic re re- re I was prepared for punishment punishment punishment pun pun- but not for praise She was therefore thrown off oft her guard made to feel fecI that she had reached the summit instead of ot having wa ways s 's sand and means for improvement indi indi- She confesses that she is not a perfect novelist Such nanI- nanI moua praise as she has received has tended tended to deaden self inquiry and self self- uncertainty self the Impulse toward the next peak peal And yet et had her hoi books been severely censored she would have taken it with a far worse grace She requires require four I months to recover from reviews ol of her books which only goes oes to show how an author ma may ex exaggerate the importance of reviews One may wonder how long It takes Miss lIss Powell Pow Pow- ell elI to recover from her ro royalty f statements and c can n see how ho brief a period is left Miss Powell during the year ear for pursuits What does docs Miss Powell want The praise of or friends she does not wan wanto to be scorned by those whose whoso gooc good will ivill she seeks and amid she d does docs s not want to have to live down a a. colossal colossal colos cobs sal success These seem seem to me to tobe tobe tobe be normal healthy desires As a creative e artist what docs does she wan wanto want to do As a cre creative ve artist she responded without any any hesitation I 1 want to write something that w wont won't on make mo nie sick to m my stomach If Ie you ou believe In psychoanalysis In believing then you ou are justified examination that a psychoanalytic of Miss l PowEll Po would yield Interesting Inter inter- estI esting g da data tn on Oil her creative proc pro processes esses eases it if not on the creative proc proc- ess She Sho is perhaps too conscious of ot th the relation be between wc n her hr work and ll Ih her r own psychic state u to make too many valuable unconscious revelations rev rev- She can trace rather clearly clearly clearly clear clear- I ly the flower of her creative w work rk or or the fungus If it I you ou will to will to Its roots in her bier own childhood A childhood memory set Miss Powell off orf on arm on Tie The Brides Bride's House On the wall walt of her b bedroom droom in the farmhouse in iii which she lived hived be between between between be- be tween the ages of 3 and 7 hung a picture It was not a Da Vinci Vine or a Reynolds tey it nas was most likely some daub It showed a man and and a woman In a sleigh much the ground and elsewhere a a. lighted church in the background The man sat up in front q quite self- self assured quite sure of the woman with him But Hut in the e eyes es of the woman there wa was a a. backward hackward lookIng look look- Ing lag toward the ch church a a. suggestion of an Inclination elsewhere than toward the man in frontS front Miss Powell asserts that until she finIshed fin fin- finished The Tue Brides Bride's she was troubled by the thic images imageS' which that thaC picture evoked and amid that the troubling trou trou- hung bUng Images have now been exercised exercised exer exer- For my may own satisfaction she sn says s 's I have to make up us an end for a n. person pe about whom I 1 have ha h had d the emotion of curiosity curio 1 1 Miss Powell has lived Jived In cities clUes and a dozen little towns over nor northern north hern h r K em ern and central Ohio little towns in Ia of winter and farms in summer summer hel her parents grandparents and one I set et of great-grandparents great living hiving in that I state f 1 danced t to h hurdy gurdies and nd v 1 went vent screaming after fter ice cream wagons in Cleveland streets street when 1 I was 6 G she said fitly My ty grandmother r 1 er el had two rooming houses just four blocks from the public square l' l j t Sometimes Sometimes' roomers took gas and sometimes they only Iy shot themselves themselves them them- selves but anyway way a policeman or 4 i ambulance called da and an e. e every day It was w wonderful j Sometimes whole v ole stock compa- compa companies 5 nies stayed at t her house and when 4 they needed a a child actress they 1 took me mc She isn't pretty prett they 3 said bu she's bright I made my I debut In Hearts of Gold at the age t of 7 Everything was going beautifully 5 1 fully I fully I was congealed with terror s- s that was all when all when suddenly my lit little lit lit- tie the sister sereal screamed from the gaIl gallery r Dont let them hurt Dawnie It t was very embarrassing r for l' l an ar artist ar- ar When I was I 12 we ve lived hived for a short while on a n. big farm between 7 and Cleveland Da Daytimes Umes w we t 1 were berry pickers like hike all aU the theother other u ti children in the neighborhood for A il A 1 these were huge truck farms Twice Tivice o oa a a. week my father took a 3 load to V l mark market t. t At At midnight Q tir r wagon would join a long line Una of truck jj wagons going into Cleveland from front all the farms for fr thirty and forty Corty 1 miles mUes around It was pitch dar dark Z t i and yer very quiet and there was isas one f spot where here we children hid In the J bottom of the wagon agn because one driver would yell through ugh the darkness darkness dark- dark v ness back t to the one behind Man 1111 murdered here last week coming lome with ith h his market money Lanterns Lan Lan- n- n terns erns would swing along the road I and when it we reached the tho Rocky La river iver bridge there wa wag a a light in the t sky ky that meant the city In the market pl place ce w ws we sat in the wa wagon on while the men men bargained with old women ovex over he thie price e of ot pickles It would be ju just t br break k of 01 day and fog whistles would be blowing on the lake ake I uI hated the farm and so 60 I I ran away Ill I'll never forget org t running down J that hat road crying m my ny e eyes es out because because because be- be be be- cause I was afraid to run away but there I was ivas as running I hid In the station bec because use I was afraid someone someone some some- one would come me to take me sac back but nit by midnight I was at m my aunts aunt's in n Shelby and never went back to the farm When I was 16 I w won was wason wason on a village dally daIly and then I ran zan away again this time tinie to college I got to New York next t and stayed ed And here I am nm m I When I saw Miss Powell I had not the slightest intention of devoting all this space to her But as she spoke she created in me and me-and and partly satisfied that satisfied that emotion of curiosity from which she has lias so often suffered sut- sut with respect to other othe people Miss Powell powen m may y be destined for creative achievement but not for happiness and there is something touching about such a double des des- tiny She is perhaps an excellent character for a a novel by b someone else |
