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70th out of 386 books
—
154 voters
Joe Gould's Secret
Now a major motion picture starring Ian Holm, Hope Davis, and Stanley Tucci, who also directs.
Joseph Mitchell was a legendary New Yorker writer and the author of the national bestseller Up in the Old Hotel, in which these two pieces appeared. What Joseph Mitchell wrote about, principally, was New York. In Joe Gould, Mitchell found the perfect subject. And Joe Gould's Secre...more
Joseph Mitchell was a legendary New Yorker writer and the author of the national bestseller Up in the Old Hotel, in which these two pieces appeared. What Joseph Mitchell wrote about, principally, was New York. In Joe Gould, Mitchell found the perfect subject. And Joe Gould's Secre...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
December 7th 1999
by Vintage
(first published 1993)
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Joe Gould was certainly beat, though, like Jack Kerouac, proudly not beatnik, one of those mercurial American eccentrics, messianic when it suited him, pathetic when it didn’t, diplomatic or direct when he needed to be. When New Yorker writer Joseph Mitchell first encountered him in the late 1950s, Gould was living semi-rough in New York, though he was a Harvard graduate and had been a professional ethnographer and a journalist. He was known as Professor Seagull, and frequented poetry readings,...more
I achingly realized Joe Gould's 'secret' about halfway through the book, and was thereafter in a constant state of pity for him, for Joseph Mitchell, and for many of the various characters swept up in the Oral History. I think he was an interesting and respectable guy, but it made me sad to realize that if he were still around today, he would be brushed off as a destitute panhandler so much more easily now than in the Bohemian scene of the 1940's. It was also fun to read about New York at that t...more
Superb on scattered levels. First off I'm a fool for ignoring my old friend's urgings of Mitchell two years ago whereas when you live in New York the whole goddamned book after book about it is just much better when you're on if you're on vacation, whatever that means.
Gould is the New York Quixote. Homeless Bowery bearded chain-smoking alcoholic slob who graduated from Harvard and wore Cummings's hat around the village. His Oral History was seven million words long, a manuscript taller than the...more
Gould is the New York Quixote. Homeless Bowery bearded chain-smoking alcoholic slob who graduated from Harvard and wore Cummings's hat around the village. His Oral History was seven million words long, a manuscript taller than the...more
Starts out a bit snooty (as might well be expected from New Yorker types), but then becomes most intriguing indeed. Unfortunately though I have to say that my interest was lessened considerably by the revelation of the Secret. And afterward I had a tough time getting a grasp on the author's version of ethics, as he keeps the whole business quietly to himself. A lot of amusing moments anyway, such as the following excerpt: "My heart sank. Oh, God, I remember thinking, I'm in for it now. He'll com...more
Imagine Hamsun's emaciated artist taking his defiance to Greenwich Village and living hand to mouth for twenty years. No pawning of underwear and top coats here, the intellectual vagrant would require a different angle. He'd have to shuffle, he would need to embrace his humility. Such was what I initially divined to be at the core of Mitchell's book, an outgrowth of piece he wrote on Gould in the New Yorker in 1942. That isn't the case.
An expose lies at the heart of the tale, but the story of Jo...more
An expose lies at the heart of the tale, but the story of Jo...more
Half profile and half expose, the book is a tender look at a local hero who is crazy but loved for it. Joe Gould says he was a mucus-y and ambisinistrous child. He beat Howard Zinn by a few decades with his "Oral History," which purported to tell the real history of the nation -- the history of the people living their day-to-day lives. It was supposed to have weighed in at 9 million words, nearly 13 times the length of the Bible! He was writing down the "Oral History," sometimes being paid in fo...more
A great, anecdotal biography of an interesting, discarded type-of-man who rarely receives such scrunity and respect. Full of heart, yet satisfyingly objective. By the end of this deftly-composed portrait, Joe Gould will remain seated comfortably in the back chamber of your heart-memory as he did in the back of Greenwich Village dives for so many years. A lasting image of an easily overlooked character in a simple and brief style. Absolutely worthy story to dedicate a few afternoons to.
Nov 20, 2008
Leslie Roberts
is currently reading it
My buddy Sasha Waters sent me this book a week ago. She knows my keen interest in reportage and it does not get much better than Mitchell. Mitchell wrote longish essays for The New Yorker, and Joe Gould's Secret is a hard-to-stop reading account of an eccentric character who wandered the streets of Greenwich Village, befriending everyone from Mitchell to ee cummings to barmen around the neighborhood. His secret? Well, start reading...you will not be disappointed...
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Joseph Mitchell virou referência pela qualidade de seu texto e por dar vida aos anônimos de Nova York nos longos perfis que escrevia. São essas as duas observações que mais se repetem sobre o autor, mas “O segredo de Joe Gould” também põe abaixo dois dogmas do jornalismo: o “compromisso com a verdade” e as fórmulas ortodoxas sobre como escrever uma reportagem. Isso, mais de 40 anos atrás. Fascinante.
Watched the movie. Human interest story based on actual events. Causes a lot of pondering and reflection. Interesting ending. Something one would have to read or watch (ideally both) to capture multiple psychological currents. A story with significant impact. Recommended.
The first legitimately great book that I've read in some time, and all the more so for being so compact and circumspect. In some ways deeply distressing, full of real pain and disillusionment, and hope, too. A great True New York story that rises far above the genre. Run, do not walk, to your nearest library or bookstore and get a copy.
An interesting commentary on an eccentric's life in bohemian New York City. Two stories about the same man written twenty-two years apart which provide an entertaining look at a real character. An easy and intriguing read.
If you are intrigued by the myth and mystique of New York City and the infinite possibilities of life in the megalopolis, this is a must-read.
Joseph Mitchell's book is about the legendary 'bohemian' Joe Gould, a character who frequented the cheap cafes and ratty bars of the down-and-out neighborhoods of NYC, long before these same locations became trendy destinations. All the energy and paranoia of a life lived the street permeates the portrait of this rather extraordinary person, who claims he...more
Joseph Mitchell's book is about the legendary 'bohemian' Joe Gould, a character who frequented the cheap cafes and ratty bars of the down-and-out neighborhoods of NYC, long before these same locations became trendy destinations. All the energy and paranoia of a life lived the street permeates the portrait of this rather extraordinary person, who claims he...more
I love this book. 3rd time read. One of my favorite works of nonfiction, up there with In Cold Blood and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I've liked all of Mitchell's books--reports from New York at its cultural peak--but Gould goes to the next level, a unique peek into how people love an outsider artist, and the realities of his actual life. Seagulls everywhere would be proud.
Jan 24, 2010
Daniel Murray
marked it as to-read
I'm reading Mitchell's book, Up In The Old Hotel, and came across the Professor Seagull piece in McSorley's Wonderful Saloon. This caused me to dig deeper into the story of Joe Gould.
Really interesting book, particularly evoking Greenwich Village in the 1940s and the types of characters who lived there. I admit it took the Wikipedia article to remind me of the similarities, but The Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks talks about the same place/time as well - these are two great books to read in tandem about NYC in ages past.
A haunting, almost poignant account of a man who tried to lift himself with his own shoelace.
There isn't a category to put this book in simply interesting and one of a kind.
I'm an up/down reviewer, so I only do five or one stars. My advice: read this one. Joseph Mitchell truly deserves the accolades he garnered over his life writing for the New Yorker, and provides a shining examples of why long-form journalism remains vital —especially in an era of Internet- and TV-induced cultural ADD. This crafty, engaging portrait of a strange little man winds up being a perfect portrait of our personal quests for meaning, without realizing that our individual stories — no mat...more
An interesting study of homelessness, society, and mental illness.
Joe Gould's Secret tells the real story of a homeless man that lived off of a dream: he dreamed that he was a gifted writer; and he sold that dream to a number of people that fed him and eventually provided him with shelter and money for drinks. He was no writer at all; but he was very entertaining; and nobody knew that he wasn't really writing anything. This book is very successful showing his wonderful personality and the different tricks he applied to get some cash out of the people around hi...more
no complaints.
You will absolutely fall in love with this most quirky character!
I would give at least 6 stars to that book if it was possible.
Mad good.
Joseph Mitchell, criminally ignored writer, "the American master of the declarative sentence". Whenever I get bored late at night I pop in a DVD-rom disc from The Complete New Yorker and read old Joseph Mitchell Profiles pieces from the 40s. Captures all the downtown/midtown Moondogesque characters in all their oddball glory.
This was a fun little read, and another of those that I picked up at the school bookstore. How come I never take classes that get the fun assigned reading? I should probably stop buying the books for other classes, but it's a habit I started as an undergrad.
I first read this book at 24 when I still lived on Irving Place and 20th. I'll never forget Mitchell's imperative-- to not just look around, but to "look up and wonder." Which is particularly fun to do in Manhattan.
I don't remember ever hearing about this book before or after I read it. I hope it actually exists, because I remember it being fantastic.
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Joseph Mitchell was an American writer who wrote for The New Yorker. He is known for his carefully written portraits of eccentrics and people on the fringes of society, especially in and around New York City.
-Wikipedia
More about Joseph Mitchell...
Joseph Mitchell was an American writer who wrote for The New Yorker. He is known for his carefully written portraits of eccentrics and people on the fringes of society, especially in and around New York City.
-Wikipedia
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