Your Daily Penguin: John O'Hara!

[@BookishTexan]

John O'Hara. Underappreciated indeed. Well chosen excerpt.

[@rachelhyland3669]

I love John O'Hara! It makes me proud that you do, too.

[@brucejackson6451]

Excellent overview of O’Hara’s minuscule Penguin reprints. I was hoping to find an interview with him and instead found this. Very well done. I’m an O’Hara lover, I’ve collected most of his novels in their original hardbacks and all of his 1960’s short story collections, which is an incredible SIX volumes, just from the one decade, well over 100 stories in all. He was a remarkable writer, not flashy with his style which may be a big part of why he’s not commonly mentioned in the same breath as his contemporaries Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner and Steinbeck. He belongs in their company, beyond question. But a lot of people, not just Brendan Gil, didn’t like him personally and did nothing to enhance his reputation. I hope that people pick up the Penguin books you mentioned and then go on a hunt for more. It’s out there, he was a major bestselling author and there are few used bookstores I’ve been to that don’t have at least one or two of his books around. Seek him out and spread the word, here is a true, beautiful, multilayered portrait of America (specifically Pennsylvania) in the 1910s through the 1960s, black and white, men and women and children, rich and poor and every social stratum in between, a man and a great artist ignored and nearly forgotten, to our eternal collective loss. Find him. Go forth and find him again.

[@sabbirs2423]

Underrated or rather forgotten talent, I bought a used short story collection which included Andrea and other stories, possibly from a stoop sale. Brilliant short story writing, also very modern depiction of relationships and sex considering when the stories were written.

[@davidsigler9690]

I assume you read the biography of O'Hara, "The Art Of Burning Bridges: Life Of John O'Hara." By Geoffrey Wolff....

[@barbaraboethling596]

Nice to see you feature O'Hara! I've read many of his works, and own at least three collections of his short stories, and I've found him to be consistently good.

[@kit-kat9466]

I just bought my second Penguin paperback. I spent a long time collecting Bantam Books since I was a kid, but you've inspired me to start a Penguin Classics collection.

[@TheRoomNote]

Only John O'Harra I've read is his short story Andrea. I loved it! I picked up an old Soda-Water boxed set but haven't gotten around to it yet.

[@awizardintraining]

you showed us the Deluxe edition of Appointment in Samarra a while back

[@Leebearify]

I actually have it from that discussion.

[@battybibliophile-Clare]

Well the recommendation worked for me. I shall look O'Hara books. Thanks Steve.

[@EastLancashireJohn]

I've not heard of John O'Hara or the books you're featuring in this video. It's always good to discover new, recommended authors, so I'll start by checking out the short stories.

[@mtngrl5859]

I saw a film of one of his books, From the Terrace, it was a good film, so I figure it was a much better novel. I remember a story I heard about O'Hara, with all of his success he always felt insecure he hadn't gone to Harvard. Such a popular novelist to worry about something like that!

[@anthonysuppa1118]

Penguin also makes a black spine edition of Pal Joey.

[@dankierson]

Heard nothing on _A Rage To Live_ - which was the novel that Gill "reviewed" so as to publicly shoot off everything he felt about O'Hara. I suppose class, sex, booze and cover-ups were part of the societal fabric in the 30s, 40s and 50s. But I wonder if his treatment of characters like Grace Caldwell would pass inspection by today's psychology-savvy readers who would simply see in her a reflection of her parents' failings and attitudes.

[@elenamakridina8196]

I wanted to download a free sample of the short story collection and accidently bought it. That's the universe interfering. The same thing had happened with How Fiction Works by James Wood a while back, so I'm not complaining. I might be starting a freakish books-come-to-me-in-due-time thing going on not much unlike your own:) Take care of yourself.

[@OttoIncandenza]

any chance you can increase the volume on your videos?

[@leafyconcern]

Is there a single book by Vonnegut you might like?

[@HannahsBooks]

I haven’t read him-mostly because I thought of him as a dude bro. Not true, it sounds like! Could you suggest a story or two that might be a good place to start? (“Can I Stay Here”?). I have not read Cheever, either. Or John Dos Passos, who was one of my father’s favorites...

[@TimCBuilders]

WTF???