Memos from Purgatory
Encyclopedia
Memos from Purgatory is Harlan Ellison
's account of his experience with kid gangs when he joined one to research them for his first novel, Web of the City
. It also describes the author's experience during an overnight stay in prison.
. The gang's territory was in Red Hook
, considered to be one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Brooklyn
. He acted as war counselor for the gang for ten weeks before leaving. After publishing Web of the City in 1958, Ellison decided to write a nonfictional account of his experience. This became "Book One: The Gang" in Memos from Purgatory.
The second part of the book, "The Tombs" was expanded from an essay Ellison wrote about his experience in jail. In 1960, two police officers searched Ellison's apartment and found a .22
revolver
, a switchblade
knife, and a set of brass knuckles
, all of which Ellison had kept as memorabilia from his time with The Barons. Ellison was arrested under New York State's Sullivan Act
banning the possession of concealed weapons. Disgusted by the conditions in the jail
, Ellison wrote an essay entitled "Buried in the Tombs" for The Village Voice
. The article was later expanded into book two of Memos from Purgatory, with a dedication to Ellison's friend Ted White
who had encouraged him to write down his experiences.
for "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour." The episode aired in 1964 under the slightly different title Memo from Purgatory. The episode starred James Caan playing the part of the author Jay Shaw (based on Ellison). The character of Shaw decides to write a book about juvenile street gang and researches his subject by joining The Barons gang in Brooklyn. Although this is the same gang Ellison joined to research Web of the City, the events of the episode have been fictionalized.
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
's account of his experience with kid gangs when he joined one to research them for his first novel, Web of the City
Web of the City
Web of the City is the first novel written by author Harlan Ellison. The novel follows the story of Rusty Santoro, a teenage member of the fictional Cougars street gang in the 1950s Brooklyn, New York...
. It also describes the author's experience during an overnight stay in prison.
Contents
- New Introduction: Memo '75 (1975 edition)
- Memo '69 (1969 and 1975 editions)
- A Message from the Sponsor
- Prologue
- Book One: The Gang
- nine chapters
- Transition
- Book Two: The Tombs
- seven chapters
- Conclusion
Background
In 1957, Harlan Ellison joined the teenage street gang The Barons under an assumed name in order to do research for his first novel, Web of the CityWeb of the City
Web of the City is the first novel written by author Harlan Ellison. The novel follows the story of Rusty Santoro, a teenage member of the fictional Cougars street gang in the 1950s Brooklyn, New York...
. The gang's territory was in Red Hook
Red Hook, Brooklyn
Red Hook is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6. It is also the location where the transatlantic liner, the , docks in New York City.- History :...
, considered to be one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. He acted as war counselor for the gang for ten weeks before leaving. After publishing Web of the City in 1958, Ellison decided to write a nonfictional account of his experience. This became "Book One: The Gang" in Memos from Purgatory.
The second part of the book, "The Tombs" was expanded from an essay Ellison wrote about his experience in jail. In 1960, two police officers searched Ellison's apartment and found a .22
.22 Short
.22 Short is a variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition. Developed in 1857 for the first Smith and Wesson revolver, the .22 rimfire was the first American metallic cartridge....
revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
, a switchblade
Switchblade
A switchblade is a type of knife with a folding or sliding blade contained in the handle which is opened automatically by a spring when a button, lever, or switch on the handle or bolster is activated A switchblade (also known as an automatic knife, pushbutton knife, switch, Sprenger, Springer,...
knife, and a set of brass knuckles
Brass knuckles
Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, or knuckledusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal, usually steel despite their name, shaped to fit around the knuckles...
, all of which Ellison had kept as memorabilia from his time with The Barons. Ellison was arrested under New York State's Sullivan Act
Sullivan Act
The Sullivan Act, also known as the Sullivan Law, is a controversial gun control law in New York State. Upon first passage, the Sullivan Act required licenses for New Yorkers to possess firearms small enough to be concealed. Possession of such firearms without a license was a misdemeanor, carrying...
banning the possession of concealed weapons. Disgusted by the conditions in the jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
, Ellison wrote an essay entitled "Buried in the Tombs" for 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...
. The article was later expanded into book two of Memos from Purgatory, with a dedication to Ellison's friend Ted White
Ted White (author)
Ted White is a Hugo Award-winning American writer, known as a science fiction author and editor and fan, as well as a music critic...
who had encouraged him to write down his experiences.
Television adaptation
Ellison later adapted "Book One: The Gang " into a teleplayTeleplay
A teleplay is a television play, a comedy or drama written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a television plays from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films...
for "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour." The episode aired in 1964 under the slightly different title Memo from Purgatory. The episode starred James Caan playing the part of the author Jay Shaw (based on Ellison). The character of Shaw decides to write a book about juvenile street gang and researches his subject by joining The Barons gang in Brooklyn. Although this is the same gang Ellison joined to research Web of the City, the events of the episode have been fictionalized.
Excerpts
Below is an excerpt about zip guns, a common weapon among street gangs:- "Or how about that homemade cannon, the zip-gun, about which you've heard so much? Have you any idea how simple they are to make? Not the detailed and involved weapons made by kids who only want to sport a deadly-looking piece, but the quickly-made item to be used in a killing.
- "The tube-rod in a coffee percolator is the barrel. Did you know it's exactly right for a .22 calibre slug? Or perhaps it's not the stem of from a coffee pot. Perhaps it's a snapped-off car radio antenna. Either one will do the job. They mount it on a block of wood for a grip, with friction tape, and then they rig a rubber-band-and-metal-firing-pin device that will drive the .22 bullet down that percolator stem or antenna shell, and kill another teen-ager. What they don't bother to tell you is that a zip-gun is the most inaccurate, poorly-designed, dangerous weapon of the streets. Not only dangerous to the victim, but equally dangerous to the assailant, for too often the zip will explode in the firer's hand, too often the inaccuracy of the home-made handgun will cause an innocent bystander to be shot. It is a booby trap of the most innocent-seeming sort, and there are many kids in Brooklyn (or in Queens, Long Island City and Astoria, where the Kicks, another club much given to the use of the zip, roam) with only two or three fingers on a hand, from having snapped that rubber band against the metal firing pin."