Memoirs of a Shy Pornographer

by Kenneth Patchen, Jonathan Williams (Introduction)

Kenneth Patchen's comic masterpiece, Memoirs of a Shy Pornographer first appeared in 1945. The hilarious saga of Alfred Budd of Bivalve, New Jersey - a Candide-like innocent and part-time pornographer, written with what Diane DiPrima called Patchen's "tender silliness" - is sure to inspire a new generation of readers.

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Classics, Literature, Humor, The United States Of America, Literary Fiction

242 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1948

About the author

Kenneth Patchen was an American poet and novelist. He experimented with different forms of writing and incorporated painting, drawing, and jazz music into his works, which have been compared with those of William Blake and Walt Whitman. Patchen's biographer wrote that he "developed in his fabulous fables, love poems, and picture poems a deep yet modern mythology that conveys a sense of compassionate wonder amidst the world's violence." Along with his friend and peer Kenneth Rexroth, he was a central influence on the San Francisco Renaissance and the Beat Generation.

Reviews

[Tait · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was already a big fan of Kenneth Patchen after reading his terrifyingly beautiful anti-war novel, The Journal of Albion Moonlight, but he really nailed it with his surreal Memoirs of a Shy Pornographer. The loose plot follows the comedic adventures of a shy man who accidentally writes a work of pornography and ends up in a variety of absurd social situations. Like the scathing poetic rants against war in Albion Moonlight, Patchen turns his raging eye here on society, cultural production, and genres, satirizing the failure of culture to produce meaning. What really makes this novel work though is the protagonist Alfred Budd, an innocent and honest man who has the ability of manifesting anything he imagines into reality. Unlike contemporary fictions that would ridicule such a figure, Budd is presented as the sole source of sanity and possibility in a world falling into surreal meaninglessness, especially in his attempts to heal a crippled girl by imagining hard enough that she can walk again, and convincing her to believe that this is possible. What really sealed my love of this hilarious and moving book was a scene where Budd tries to convince the girl that she can walk by saying that god doesn't need to exist, as belief is only about things that we don't understand or aren't real, except that everything we can imagine is real:

"And what would you say the God who stands before you is?"
"Everything."
"That's certainly narrowing it down."
"Everything which man can imagine, dream, or conceivably want to exist-"
"Will exist?"
"Does exist. How else could we conceive of them? It amazes me to think that there are people who suppose they believe in God, and yet won't believe that there are butterflies bigger than the earth, that there are fires raging at the bottom of the sea, that there are leopards made of golden wire circling the sun-"
"And these things prove there is a God?"
"Prove there isn't - because there's no need for one."

I think that this idea that everything we can imagine is real is very important and entirely missing today, an age where we are all too aware of the falsity of the Spectacle that confronts us in every direction, that despite their unreality, the productions of culture do effect us in very real ways, that the imagination does (and has always been the only human means to) make reality real. As such, Patchen offers a way out or beyond this, suggesting that the kinds of stories we are used to telling are not the only kinds of stories, and that the frail aesthetic irreality we give these stories might be replaced by a belief in the possibility of anything we can imagine.

[Orion · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has two plots reflecting themes that run throughout much of Patchen's work: the absurdity of the "profane" civilized world and the importance of focusing on the "sacred" or natural world to bring meaning, order and purpose to human existence. The device Patchen chose for the first theme is that of censorship of erotic content in literature. It is from this that the book derives its title. When this book was written in 1945, books were often published in the US with ellipses substituting for forbidden words. The beginning of the book tells the story of a first novel of innocent love, called The Spool of Destiny, written by Albert Budd of Bivalve, New Jersey. An unscrupulous editor changes the book's name to The Spill of Desire and substitutes "****" and ". . . ." for Albert's innocent words throughout the text in such quantity that the book must be published overseas. Albert becomes a best-selling pornographer who everyone wants to meet and women want to make love to.

About half-way through the work Albert meets and falls in love with another innocent, Priscilla, and the story moves from the profane life of New York society to a sacred love that works miracles and heals all wrongs. This is the most moving part of the book, and Patchen's best portrayal of this mystical, transformational love that inspires so many of his poems. I think many readers might give up on this book in the first half and miss this gem of prose writing embedded in the second half.

If you like Patchen's poetry, you must read this book. If you haven't read Patchen before, stop whatever you are doing and either read this book or a book of his poetry. He is truly a great American author and this is his most approachable novel. This review is dedicated to Miriam, Kenneth Patchen's wife and inspiration, who died in 2001.

[Peter Landau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was watching Playtime, the movie by Jacque Tati, and his innocent M. Hulot character reminded me of the decent narrator of this book, who stumbles into publishing a dirty novel and further surreal adventures. It’s also like an Abbott and Costello routine, rich with wordplay and slapstick. That’s a novelty for a novel. Even the so-called funny ones often fall flat. Not here, though, where every pratfall is followed by a lol.

[Max Nemtsov · Rating 5 out of 5]

В отличие от первого романа Пэтчена, этот — гораздо больше абсурдистский балаган и, несмотря на свою бессвязность, вполне потешен. Автор засовывает нас в мир сновидческой нереальности весьма неуютный, где новые персонажи, как правило возникают сначала в виде голосов из-за плеча, оборачиваешься — и ты уже в другой обстановке. Вокруг скользят сплошь тени, исчезают и пропадают, совершают нелепые и/или совершенно необъяснимые поступки, лишенные всякой логики (кроме той, что у автора в голове, но она непостижима), и вновь скрываются в небытии. Остается собственно только наш «робкий порнограф», случайно написавший порнографический роман (писал-то он производственный, о намотке каких-то проводов на шпульки, но агент вычеркнул в его тексте одни слова и вписал другие, а роман опубликовал за границей, в Мексике, вот и результат). Сам же он даже слово «черт» стыдливо пишет с купюрами: ч**т.
Текст больше всего похож на «Тарантула» Дилана, а пространство больше всего (для любителей понятных сравнений) напоминает холодные умозрительно-абсурдные миры Евгения Клюева, Юрия Коваля и Михаила Гаёхо, но надо помнить, что опубликован он в 1945-м. И самое прекрасное в нем (как и в предыдущем романе) — ни в какой момент времени, ни на единой строке не знаешь, куда свернешь дальше, к чему тебя приведет автор. Сейчас почти никто так не пишет — я подозреваю, просто не умеют, все предпочитают это делать ходульно и рецептурно, видимо, «заботясь о читателе». Писатели теперь гораздо трусливее, чем в середине прошлого века.

[Chevalier_de_fortune · Rating 5 out of 5]

The guy at the bookshop told me this book was very funny. Yes it is. But it is much more than that. It's a surrealist painting in the style of René Margritte made out of words. It's a sarcastic attack on (the stupidity of) the cultural establishement. It's a wonderful love story. (If you liked Boris Vian's L’Écume des jours you will like this one too.) And it is first at all a radical-pacifist manifesto writen during world war two. This makes Kenneth Patchen to one of the most courageous US-American artists of his (and our) times.

PS As I read this book in German I have to give a big kudo to the translater ms. Katharina Behrens.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Post-war dopejazz writing; I suppose it's fairly funny and has some spots of raw power. I did love this part a whole lot, though:

"Death went on very happily in our little house. It's wonderful to be dead and at peace, and not have to bother about money and evils and all the rest of it."

[Quinn]

I LOVE KENNETH PATCHEN. what more can i say? the man is a tender-hearted genius.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not really about shyness nor pornography. And by the way, your hat's on backwards!!!

(p.s. It's Albert Budd not Alfred.)

[Jamie Grefe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be beautiful and funny, inspiring and psychedelic.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite postmodern novel. It's very psychedelic and has a lot of sexual subject matter. It's silly and playful with a scathing sardonic wit. It's also a difficult and dense book. Super eclectic and often ridiculous, this will thwart the efforts of any reader who attempts a traditional sentimental reading. (That's what makes it postmodern)

Patchen, in addition to being a postmodern novelist, was also a pre-beat poet. He was a major influence on the prose and poetry of the Beats. Many of the techniques of Hunter S. Thompson were first broken in (not always successfully) in this work of Kenneth Patchen. It's fair to say that Patchen helped break the ground and prepare the audience for the Beat works that would follow in succeeding years.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surrealist novel from Kenneth Patchen, fascinating by virtue of the fact that in the Forties there weren't many American authors writing Surrealist novels. The thing about surrealism, however, is that a lot of it feels experimental, that is to say, that some of it succeeds in setting a vivid dreamscape and other times it falls flat with absurdity. Such is the case here; I found some of the surreal passages to succeed in establishing a dream-like mood, whereas there were other passages that just descended into bad gibberish that ultimately tested my patience. Curious readers may want to read Albion Moonlight first.

[Serdar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Closest thing I've seen yet to Boris Vian's "Foam Of The Daze" in English. Or a novel by the Firesign Theatre. Or by Spike Jones. Or a novel printed on blotter paper. THAT kind of "blotter". Or a Demetri Martin routine transcribed into a novel printed on blotter paper. Yes, THAT kind of "blotter" "paper". Or the great lost Marx Brothers movie, transcribed into a novel. Printed on blotter paper. By Spike Jones. Except it's by Kenneth Patchen. Everyone on Earth should buy six copies.

[Theron Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange book. Unique. Experimental. Funny.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the most fun reading this one. Patchen's dark humour and take on surrealism reminded me of Lynch's works. Recommended to those who enjoy the aforementioned aspects in experimental prose.

[S̶e̶a̶n̶]

Bailing on this at p. 66. No offense intended toward Patchen, as I appreciate his message, but this is just too exhausting at the moment.

[Kobe Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

the plot is too unfocused

[Catherine Brizzi]

Bizarre

[Pete Camp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly one of the strangest reading experiences you can have . Very surreal, reads like a Salvador Dali painting. A little reminiscent of Naked Lunch in parts and At Swim Two Birds in others , some very much tongue in cheek and slapstick humor as well

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kenneth Patchen has been one of my favorite poets for a long time, and his prose was influential too when I first started writing seriously around fifteen, mostly "The Journal of Albion Moonlight" which dropped enough soul-stirring metaphors about Humanity and Heaven and Death and Grief and Love as to seem incomprehensible in a good way, like a modern James Joyce only better (and served as the basis for my first few needlessly abstract attempted novels). Shy Pornographer is more of a straightforward postmodern comedy narrative radiating from an excellent central idea that "leaving words out" is what makes pornographic writing, not content. After his publishers change a few names and replace some verbs with asterisks and dashes, first-time novelist Albert Budd from Bivalve, New Jersey is told he writes pornograophy now. Sort of like Nathanael West's "The Dream-Life of Balso Snell", where the protagonist is given a tour of the Trojan Horse beginning at its anus.I only mention that because I just realized it.

[Steve Steinberg]

After more than 50 years I can still remember the book cover blurb on Patchen's "Journal of Albion Moonslight," To wit: "Out of the dark ages of American Literature comes this giant among American novels, worthy bloodbrother of Melville's Moby Dick ..." I never could find "The Memoirs of a Shy Pornographer" though. Possibly because booksellers feared it might be a "worthy bloodbrother" of Miller's "Tropic of Cancer" or "Tropic of Capricorn." In those days you could easily have slipped an ounce of pot or two past your average U.S. customs agent, but just try to bring in one of the Miller books. I assume they were banned because of Henry's liberal use of the "F" word. But what's pornographic about that???

[Adriaan Krabbendam · Rating 5 out of 5]

In those days I was collecting anything I could find of this writer, and in a rather sleazy market stall on the ramblas in Barcelona I found this, not even knowing yet that it existed. What a beautiful, original, funny and moving novel it was! "An Amusement" is quite an understatement. In fact it was this novel, after reading The Journal and some of his poetry, that I was convinced of Patchen's enormous talent. In the years that followed this conviction only increased.

[None-ya]

Hilarious!!! Kept my interest from start to finish. Every page is full of new situations or images or truths about life and wonderment and the obsurdity of ones journey through it all. Albert Budd is innocent yet so captivating. My favorite patchen novel is still Journal of Albian Moonlight, but this book is fun to read over again.

[justin louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"that all men are created equal... some of you may say: here certainly, is a great truth.
yet it is a hideous and obvious lie.
because it is used to support a lie.
the noblest utterances of brotherhood and compassion and fervencies to god which have been used to degrade, maim, and blind the nations of the earth, appear as blood-flecks on the mouth of a monster engaged in gobbling its own kind."

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like that this book exists, but don't like reading it and can't get into it. Read about 60 pages and am quitting. Very surreal/absurd, with some interesting lines, but overall I feel like I'm not getting anything out of it.

[Alan]

Still have it in my collection although I can't remember much about it. I need to reread Patchen now and see if he still has any bite or if like many of the things from the 60's it was just remembered through a haze of smoke.

[Phlip · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is nutty but ultimately, for me, a real chore to get through. This was largely due to the ambivalence I felt for the characters. Certain scenes constructed by Patchen achieve sublime hilarity but he is unable to fashion a good novel in this effort.

[Brian Hart]

Playfully experimental, this is a blast.

[notgettingenough]

I was taken by this review: http://www.textheavy.com/clippings/pa...

but I see there are various interesting ones on goodreads to whet your appetite for this one.

[Jonathan Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jolly good.

[Caetano · Rating 1 out of 5]

zzz