Profession: writer

Hook wrote the words for many of his father James’s songs and operas, the first libretto being at age sixteen. He also ghost-wrote Michael Kelly’s ‘Reminiscences’ (though his father is sometimes mistakenly credited). Hook breakfasted with Scott on a London visit — Scott seems to have been at least indirectly responsible for Hook’s editorship of a popular magazine, though this may have been the only time they met.

Southern’s very varied output makes him hard to pin down — good cover, given his range of targets. He and Corso helped persuade Girodias to publish Burroughs’ ‘Naked Lunch’ (Girodias had already published Southern under a pseudonym). Trocchi was a friend in Paris, while Richler rented a house in Provence where Southern could write without distraction. Kubrick argued over the credits for ‘Doctor Strangelove’. Dine, Oldenburg and Rivers were friends in London. Southern, Genet and Burroughs jointly covered a Democratic convention; Isherwood was among other collaborators. Green was one of one of Southern’s idols, and ended a good friend.

Dreiser and Sandburg were friends from Anderson’s days as an aspiring writer in Chicago, where he married Masters’ ex-wife. He persuaded Hemingway to go to France, where he had been a regular at Stein’s salon, helped Hemingway and Faulkner get their first books published, and wrote a story about Faulkner, who briefly lodged in his New Orleans house. Dos Passos was an occasional visitor. O’Keeffe corresponded with him about art and literature: Stieglitz was likewise a correspondent, as were Dove, Huxley and Wolfe. He visited Steinbeck in California, and had a valentine dedicated to him by Stein.

Vitrac met Crevel, Arland and Limbourt on military service; together, they founded a literary review. Breton and Aragon were among Vitrac’s surrealistic circle of friends; Éluard and Boiffard co-wrote with him the preface to the first edition of ‘la Révolution surréaliste.’ Artaud and he, defecting from Breton’s orbit (having quarrelled with him), founded a short-lived theatre company together. Becoming one of Bataille’s associates, Vitrac contributed to his review ‘Documents’, and co-signed a polemic directed against Breton. He wrote a critical study of de Chirico’s work, and referred to the more successful Anouilh as his ‘spiritual brother.’