Artists in Trouble: New Stories

by Aram Saroyan

This collection of fourteen stories describes the various angles, acute and obtuse, at which certain individual artists, mainly aging actors and blocked and balky screenwriters, stand in relation to Hollywood's money-magnet. My Literary Life , one of the two novellas that anchor this collection, describes the dual life of Jamie Read, a Manhattan novelist who has compromised his self-image and his literary standing by adapting his "serious" first novel ( Sometimes a Moron ) into the screenplay for a big-budget "popcorn" comedy ( Beverly Hills Moron ). It and the twelve short stories gathered here each offer a satirical glimpse into the lives of Hollywood agents, actors, hacks, and flaks.
In contrast, the other novella, Love Scenes , is a fine slice of domestic a portrait of a divorced, fortyish actor named Wesley Sender a supporting player, never a star, the small roles now coming smaller and farther apart. When at last (and unexpectedly) he lands a major part, the romantic lead in an indie feature, he plumbs his past for the bittersweet moments that he must draw on for inspiration, a parade of sexy, dramatic, sad, and mundane vignettes with his ex-wife, his latest girlfriend, and girls and women he has only fantasized about loving, including the leading lady in the film he's now shooting.
In the end, Saroyan writes, Artists in Trouble is not only about Hollywood but also about creative persons everywhere as they weather the middle of life's journey. These are stories about the generations, mentor and pupil, older self and younger self, parent and child and the way the world is in the dark when we discover we are lost.

234 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Aram Saroyan is an American poet, novelist, biographer, memoirist and playwright. There has been a resurgence of interest in his work in the 21st century, evidenced by the publication in 2007 of several previous collections reissued together as Complete Minimal Poems. He is the son of author William Saroyan and actress Carol Grace, and the father of Strawberry Saroyan.

Reviews

[Tuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poet, essayist, biographer, story writer Aram, son of William Saroyan, has this collection of west coast/nyc stories of actors and writers and painters and while it comes a bit skipped record after a while with the themes of horny men, come-hither women, and the difficulty of being an artist (and making a living) there is some wonderful writing here, if you take it as historical. History of beats, the many crises of California (political, artistic, economic, spiritual, oh yeah, they have had quite a few [read Ronald Reagan! ha!] and rEAL ESTATE)and the different worlds of art Hollywood and the rest of the world try to produce. Plus the biggest thrill of this book is the physical, it was published by Black Sparrow Press of Santa Rosa califa, and a finer book is hard to find.

[Mirjam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Saroyan collection (it’s a high bar) but “The Genius” — a short-short story within about a ride on a bus — is one of my favorite stories I’ve ever read. I read it 15 times probably; definitely goes on my short story mix tape.

[laila* · Rating 3 out of 5]

kinda the most meh book i’ve read from black sparrow press. lots of places connected to my life though—kinda cool