Jack Green (critic)
Encyclopedia
jack green is the pseudonym for Christopher Carlisle Reid (born 1928), a literary critic who was a great defender of the work of William Gaddis
. Reid—who took the name from a racing form after he quit his job to become a freelance critic—particularly admired Gaddis' 1955 novel The Recognitions
, which flopped upon being published. Reid/green believed that the commercial failure of the hardcover edition of Gaddis novel was the result of it having been panned by literary critics.
(According to literary sleuth Dr. Don Foster, an English professor at Vassar College, jack green's name actually is John Carlisle. Carlisle was the son of novelist Helen Grace Carlisle and worked as an actuarial clerk at Metropolitan Life Insurance until 1957, when he quit his job. )
As jack green, Reid started a self-published 'zine called newspaper dedicated to the work of Gaddis. In the first edition of the 'zine, green claimed that The Recognitions was the greatest book of all time. After meeting Gaddis, green wrote an article called Fire the bastards!
for newspaper #12 that fiercely denounced the literary critics whom he believes doomed the novel with their bad reviews. In 1962, he also took out a full-page ad in The Village Voice
heralding the paperback edition of The Recognitions (in which he again took a swipe at the critics).
Many in the literary scene mistakenly thought "jack green" was a pseudonym for Gaddis himself, while others believed that Gaddis paid for Green's ad.
Reid/green's faith in Gaddis was born out when The Recognitions was chosen as one of TIME magazine's
100 best novels from 1923 to 2005
.
He was tangentially involved in the Wanda Tinasky
letters imbroglio when one of the letters claimed that Gaddis and Thomas Pynchon
were one and the same person. The Tinasky letters had been believed to be the work of Pynchon, but later were shown to be the work of poet Tom Hawkins
by Dr. Don Foster
, the Vassar English professor who unmasked Joe Klein
as the author of Primary Colors.
In 1963, Hawkins self-published a paperback book that sold for $1 entitled Eve, the Common Muse of Henry Miller & Lawrence Durrell, that also addressed Gaddis and green. Hawkins insisted that Gaddis and green were the same person. In the Wanda Tinasky letters published in the 1980s, Hawkins continued to insist that Gaddis and green were one and the same, and also claimed that Gaddis/green had written the works of Pynchon. In 1986, Hawkins as Tinasky again claimed that jack green "...did pretty well in the auctorial line with novels published commercially under the names of William Gaddis and Thomas Pynchon." Foster proved that Hawkins, who already was dead, was Wanda Tinasky via textural analysis.
William Gaddis
William Thomas Gaddis, Jr. was an American novelist. He wrote five novels, two of which won National Book Awards and one of which, The Recognitions , was chosen as one of TIME magazine's 100 best novels from 1923 to 2005...
. Reid—who took the name from a racing form after he quit his job to become a freelance critic—particularly admired Gaddis' 1955 novel The Recognitions
The Recognitions
The Recognitions, published in 1955, is American author William Gaddis's first novel. The novel was poorly received initially, but Gaddis's reputation grew, twenty years later, with the publication of his second novel J R , and The Recognitions received belated fame as a masterpiece of American...
, which flopped upon being published. Reid/green believed that the commercial failure of the hardcover edition of Gaddis novel was the result of it having been panned by literary critics.
(According to literary sleuth Dr. Don Foster, an English professor at Vassar College, jack green's name actually is John Carlisle. Carlisle was the son of novelist Helen Grace Carlisle and worked as an actuarial clerk at Metropolitan Life Insurance until 1957, when he quit his job. )
As jack green, Reid started a self-published 'zine called newspaper dedicated to the work of Gaddis. In the first edition of the 'zine, green claimed that The Recognitions was the greatest book of all time. After meeting Gaddis, green wrote an article called Fire the bastards!
Fire the Bastards!
Fire the Bastards! was written by Jack Green and published in his magazine newspaper in 1962. It was an acerbic critique of the book reviewing industry....
for newspaper #12 that fiercely denounced the literary critics whom he believes doomed the novel with their bad reviews. In 1962, he also took out a full-page ad in The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
heralding the paperback edition of The Recognitions (in which he again took a swipe at the critics).
Many in the literary scene mistakenly thought "jack green" was a pseudonym for Gaddis himself, while others believed that Gaddis paid for Green's ad.
Reid/green's faith in Gaddis was born out when The Recognitions was chosen as one of TIME magazine's
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
100 best novels from 1923 to 2005
TIME's List of the 100 Best Novels
Times List of the 100 Best Novels, is an unranked list of the 100 best novels—and 10 best graphic novels—published in the English language between 1923 and 2005. The list was compiled by Time critics Lev Grossman and Richard Lacayo....
.
He was tangentially involved in the Wanda Tinasky
Wanda Tinasky
Wanda Tinasky, ostensibly a bag lady living under a bridge in the Mendocino County area of Northern California, was the pseudonymous author of a series of playful, comic and erudite letters sent to the Mendocino Commentary and Anderson Valley Advertiser between 1983 and 1988. These letters were...
letters imbroglio when one of the letters claimed that Gaddis and Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. For his most praised novel, Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon received the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
were one and the same person. The Tinasky letters had been believed to be the work of Pynchon, but later were shown to be the work of poet Tom Hawkins
Tom Hawkins (writer)
Thomas Donald Hawkins , who was born in Pangurn, Arkansas and grew up in Port Angeles, Washington, was an American writer who is the probable author of the Wanda Tinasky letters, once widely thought to be the work of novelist Thomas Pynchon.Hawkins graduated in 1950 from the University of...
by Dr. Don Foster
Don Foster
Donald Michael Ellison Foster is a British Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament, representing Bath in southwest England.-Early life:...
, the Vassar English professor who unmasked Joe Klein
Joe Klein
Joe Klein is a longtime Washington, D.C. and New York journalist and columnist, known for his novel Primary Colors, an anonymously written roman à clef portraying Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. Klein is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a former Guggenheim...
as the author of Primary Colors.
In 1963, Hawkins self-published a paperback book that sold for $1 entitled Eve, the Common Muse of Henry Miller & Lawrence Durrell, that also addressed Gaddis and green. Hawkins insisted that Gaddis and green were the same person. In the Wanda Tinasky letters published in the 1980s, Hawkins continued to insist that Gaddis and green were one and the same, and also claimed that Gaddis/green had written the works of Pynchon. In 1986, Hawkins as Tinasky again claimed that jack green "...did pretty well in the auctorial line with novels published commercially under the names of William Gaddis and Thomas Pynchon." Foster proved that Hawkins, who already was dead, was Wanda Tinasky via textural analysis.