Instant Lives And More

"The edition I’ve chosen happens to have these drawings by Edward Gorey, which is, of course, an asset because he is a wonderful artist. But the reason I chose this over the original version, which was just called Instant Lives , is because of the More . And the More is a piece that I think is the funniest thing published in my lifetime. It is a parody of one of Ned Rorem’s diaries – Ned Rorem is a composer who published, over many decades, his diaries. It would be helpful if you’ve read the Ned Rorem diaries, but it’s not essential. Howard Moss, the poet, the professor and the poetry editor of The New Yorker for many years, published this piece in the early 70s. And I became obsessed with it. Among my friends, quoting this thing became a way of life. It’s unbelievably funny. Support Five Books Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount . The Instant Lives are parodies of the biographies of writers, composers and artists written in the style of whomever they are about. They are incredibly layered and immensely funny. This is a New York sensibility. Howard Moss, who was gay, lived in New York and let me assure you, he would not have been allowed to live anywhere else. These people, the authors of the five books that I’ve named, these are the people who came to New York for freedom – not so they could get rich, but so they could be free to pursue their interests and live their lives the way they wanted."