Gary Snyder on Blaming Japhy

[Philip]

Comment from Gary Snyder on Blaming Japhy Rider and my response: GS got and read your book. He says: "Pages 207 to 210 are particularly disappointing. I expected better of a Ph.D. Clearly Bralich did not take the fact that it is a novel and not journalism into serious account at all. But worse, he didn't even read the passages of which he speaks. There is no "Japhy Ryder" (please note the spelling) in the real world -- he is a character that Kerouac invented. But even as an invented character, he cannot seem to get the novel straight and makes it seem as though there are multiple parties, multiple events, and many encouragements from the J.R. character none of which are in the book. And then he can't even spell "Bodhisattva." I can onlyl guess that he published this book out of his own pocket. I do feel sorrow for his obvious disappointment with his path of occasional Buddhist practices -- but he does seem obsessed with Allen Ginsberg and that's maybe his problem."

yours,
Jann Garitty
Assistant to Gary Snyder

Thanks very much for the response and thanks very much to Mr. Snyder for his time and trouble. He is accurate in many ways and would like to thank him for his candor. I was addressing the misreading or total lack of reading "He*rd" in the culture as much as responding honestly from my own reading or lack of reading. I don't pretend to be knowledgable of the literature, only to have had the experiences I relate. I believe I have been clear about my difficulties with anything not intellectual and the amount of reading I have done. As for the spelling of bodhisattva well honestly I didn't pay that much attention and it seems neither did the editor.