Out with the Stars

by James Purdy, Robert J Corber (Foreword)

Following the discovery of an anonymous libretto, a composer comes out of retirement to write an opera based on the life of the infamous novelist-turned-photographer Cyril Vane. But those who knew Vane and his Russian-born wife, the silent-screen star Madame Olga Petrovna, are prepared to go to any lengths to suppress the truth about them. Vane's dark secret follows him to the grave, but his jealous and vengeful widow and her faded cronies employ all the means at their disposal to prevent the opening of Blossom's opera, an explosive grand finale to his career.

This dazzling new novel by one of America's finest contemporary writers is peopled by the Gothic characters readers of James Purdy have come to appreciate and relish. From Val Sturgis, Kentucky boy made good and now Blossom's protégé, to Francis X. Beauregard, aging star of the silver screen now living surrounded by street-wise hustlers in his Brooklyn mansion, here Purdy is at is most incisive, charting America's twentieth-century decline.

Genres: Fiction, American

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

James Otis Purdy was an American novelist, short-story writer, poet, and playwright who, from his debut in 1956, published over a dozen novels, and many collections of poetry, short stories, and plays. His work has been translated into more than 30 languages and in 2013 his short stories were collected in The Complete Short Stories of James Purdy.
He has been praised by writers as diverse as Edward Albee, James M. Cain, Lillian Hellman, Francis King, Marianne Moore, Dorothy Parker, Dame Edith Sitwell, Terry Southern, Gore Vidal (who described Purdy as "an authentic American genius"), Jonathan Franzen (who called him, in Farther Away, "one of the most undervalued and underread writers in America"), A.N. Wilson, and both Jane Bowles and Paul Bowles.
Purdy was the recipient of the Morton Dauwen Zabel Fiction Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1993) and was nominated for the 1985 PEN/Faulkner Award for his novel On Glory's Course (1984). In addition, he won two Guggenheim Fellowships (1958 and 1962), and grants from the Ford Foundation (1961), and Rockefeller Foundation.
He worked as an interpreter, and lectured in Europe with the United States Information Agency.

Reviews

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read this novel with such pleasure and enjoyment I feel justified in using Sidney Smith's quote about heaven being like 'eating pate de foie gras to the sound of trumpets' - that for me is the pleasure of anything written by Purdy. He is perfect because he is unique. That he is a genius unrecognised and more importantly unread by University English departments or the literary and publishing chattering classes is what makes him an exquisite delight for those of us who want to touch the divine.

When I searched on Goggle to see if I could discover any reviews from when the novel came out, 1992, I read this:

(When published the novel received) "...mixed but generally positive reviews, praised for its unique, poetic style, bizarre characters, and poignant portrayal of gay life in pre-Stonewall NYC, yet sometimes criticized for meandering plots or uneven pacing, though many consider it a significant work from an underrated American genius, especially appreciating its vivid imagery and exploration of lost souls...Reviewers often highlight Purdy's distinctive, crystalline prose, described as impulsive, haunting, and possessing perverse magic, notes the London Review of Books and the Times Literary Supplement..."

There was lots more but I thought it all missed the point, just like the GR reviewers who attempt to put the names of real writers and artists to the characters Purdy has created. I don't even think it is a novel charting America's twentieth century decline. For me it is a fantasy/fairy tale/wish-fulfilment extravaganza - like 'I am Elijah Thrush' (Elijah Thrush is name checked in Out With The Stars). It is the literary equivalent of one of those deceptively simple but mesmerising Faberge cigarette cases which are so simple but draw you in and beg to be caressed and handled. A work like 'Out With the Stars' is simply a joy to read. It isn't the novel for a novice reader of Purdy to start with - it is a novel for those who are in love with his work - and it is through long experience that love of anything grows and flowers into depths and subtleties of meaning and experience. Purdy is a writer to appreciate as he grows and develops because it is his style or his imagination that draws you in. Out with the Stars is the culmination of years of writing and creating worlds that are unique to him.

In an extraordinary way Purdy is unique in the same way Dennis Cooper is - although their work is completely different in subject matter their work is identical in how they are both voices of their times but not in the least part of the literary trends that are said to illuminate or define those times. Purdy and Cooper are the great twentieth century American contribution to world literature.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classical music lover can't help but try to connect the people dots in this comic telling of love and loss among the music giants of NYC in the mid-twentieth century. In the time period of Purdy's novel, most gay people were concealed behind marriages and devices that relied upon the naiveté of the heterosexual world. There were exceptions, the duo-pianists Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale come to mind, but even their relationship was not openly talked about.

The most famous couple may be Samuel Barber and Gian Carlo Menotti. Leonard Bernstein was paired with Tom Cothran for a time but many famous names are bandied about when it comes to his dalliances. His wife, Felicia, was a stage and TV actress.

Is Purdy’s novel an insider’s romp? Perhaps. It is an enjoyable time spent with people driven by musical and romantic passions, open-hearted and in its way, sweet.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purdy's scandalously non-PC, outrageously over-the-top satire on the decline of American culture is sexy fun with a sharp edge.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely has its moments, especially if you're aware of Virgil Thomson and Carl Van Vechten (Abner Blossom and Cyril Vane in this novel) and are curious about the surprising liberties for gays to behold in pre-stonewall NYC, but overall it doesn't contain the same sense of perverse magic or bizarre realism that his other novels tend to possess. The section detailing the derailing love between our weepy hero Val Sturgis and his lover Luigi are downright wondrous, but overall the plot seems to meander and one is left with a sense of having wanted more focus by the book's denouement. Liked it, but it is one of Purdy's weaker efforts that I've read thus far.

[Chrétien Breukers · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Purdy is altijd goed voor een roman waarin mensen van elkaar houden en waarin mensen elkaar kwellen.
In dit boek voegt hij daar wat opera aan toe, inclusief het theatrale einde. Een bijzonder boek, en hopelijk komen er nog meer niet-vertaalde romans van Purdy in het Nederlands beschikbaar, de komende jaren.

[Johan Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea.

[Tessel Spijkers · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5