GLR September-October 2023

Correspondence

1989. (Michael was wrong about this being the only Blitzstein biography. In 2012, Ox ford published Howard Pollack ’ s also 600+ page Marc Blitzstein: His Life, His Work, HisWorld .) After my book was published, we gradu ally lost contact. In 1990, I moved to Los Angeles, and my life started flowing in other directions. I cherish my brief associa tion with Michael and am grateful that he trusted me with this project which, among other things, added to the world ’ s under standing of a significant gay American life. Eric A. Gordon, Los Angeles In Defense of Samuel Barber To the Editor: I found the review of Howard Pollack ’ s Samuel Barber: His Life and Legacy ap pallingly dismissive of a major American composer. His list of works is not as long as one might wish, but the quality of what we have is superior. Mr. Berrong focused on Barber ’ s vocal and orchestral work and made no mention of his piano works or many of his briefer orchestral scores. His Piano Sonata (1949) is among the half

with Michael, hand over finished chapters, and discuss my progress. I never knew he lived just blocks from me. He was modest, professional, and discreet. Aside from our literary connection, we did not pursue a per sonal friendship. Early on, I asked him: “ How long a book do you want? ” He an swered: “ There ’ s never going to be another book about Marc Blitzstein, so yours will always be the standard reference. Include what you believe readers will want to know. ” The biography topped out at just over 600 pages. He shared some advice about trimming a manuscript: Cut three lines from every page! He did not mean this literally, but he did mean there ’ s fat on every page that you can always eliminate. I continue to look for ex cess verbiage everywhere, both as a writer and as an editor myself. Michael assigned my manuscript to an in-house copy editor, who said she ’ d never encountered a draft that needed virtually no editing. Pleased as I was to hear that, it meant that Michael and I spent little time together working out kinks in the book. Mark the Music: The Life and Work of Marc Blitzstein was published in

Gra ti tude for Michael Denneny ’ sVision To the Editor: Michael Denneny ’ s G&LR obituary [July August 2023 issue] was the first I ’ d seen, prompting me to find others, including a livestream of his author appearance at Poli tics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C., just weeks before he died. In 1986, my literary agent Frances Goldin started submitting my project for a biography of composer Marc Blitzstein, and no pub lisher seemed interested. Until, at her re quest, I also included three finished chapters to show my quality as a writer. Immediately she heard back from Michael Denneny of St. Martin ’ s Press. Later, from Michael, I learned that he hadn ’ t known about Blitz stein, but he called his friend, the up-and coming conductor Bruce Ferden, who knew of Blitzstein and told him, yes, such a biog raphy would make an important contribution. Michael also okayed a heftier advance than originally floated, without which I would not have been able to give it my full time. From the Upper West Side, I would bicy cle down to the Flatiron Building to meet

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September – October 2023

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