Profession: writer

Céline’s influential and expressive explorations of vernacular language have to be set against his notorious self-admitted anti-semitism. Paulhan, as an editor at Gallimard, corresponded and decided to publish him (Gallimard himself signed his letters ‘your faithful friend’). Aymé was a friend, and wrote a preface for one of his books. Miller, another correspondent, was influenced by him, and directed Burroughs to him. He became something of a cult figure for the beat writers; by the time Burroughs and Ginsberg visited (Burroughs giving him a copy of ‘Junkie’), Céline was convinced his neighbours were out to poison his numerous cats.

Gibbon — the pen-name used by Mitchell for his best-known trilogy — was a significant contributor to the Scottish literary renaissance; his early death limited a wider reception for his works. MacDiarmid was a close friend and supportive colleague; they collaborated on one book, and even though they held very different views, were united in their hostility to the Scottish establishment. While H. G. Wells was reassuring in his praise of one of Gibbon’s early novels, it is not clear whether they had any direct personal connection.

Primarily remembered for his unsettling autobiographically-based novel ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’, Vonnegut said he was the only person to benefit from the fire-bombing of Dresden. Heller, met at a literary festival, became a great friend and later a neighbour. Bellow was met occasionally (they’d both studied anthropology at the same university). Updike and Gordimer were correspondents (Gordimer, Miłosz, Davies and Vonnegut were photographed on a jaunt in Central Park together). Rushdie came to lunch, then called him “burned-out”. Grass, a friend, remarked to Vonnegut that he couldn’t have anyone his age to talk to. Achebe told him he’d stopped listening to the news.

The prolific Updike’s elegantly crafted novels and short stories, while acclaimed, have been criticised for their conventional protestant values and vistas. MacLeish (they corresponded briefly) famously rejected him twice from his Harvard writing class. Among friends, he admired Vonnegut’s imagination, was impressed by Cheever’s light-heartedness, but was more distant with his rival Roth. He dined with Voznesensky in Tolstoy’s mansion, and with Miller, introduced Yevtushenko in New York (Steinbeck also present). Updike, startled, found Mailer boxing around him in the street, spent an evening talking politics with Sinatra, and wondered why Thurber’s bladder didn’t burst.

Giorno’s interdisciplinary approaches shook up poetry. He mixed with a group including Lichtenstein, Johns, Reich, Riley, Glass, Morris, Rainer, Schneeman and Brown. Among his impressive roster of lovers, he starred in Warhol’s ‘Sleep’, was told by Rauschenberg to meet Moog (who helped him with sound pieces), and followed Gysin (who also encouraged his sound work) to Morocco. Burroughs was close, Cage more a friend than an influence, and Waldman a great collaborator (and fellow-buddhist). He collaborated widely, including with Glass, Anderson, Berrigan, Zappa and Smith, had a lively sexual encounter with Haring, and wrote powerfully about his friend Mapplethorpe’s death.

La Fontaine is celebrated for his Fables, and as the greatest poet of 17th century France. He was one of the so-called Quartet of the rue du Vieux Colombier, along with Molière, Racine and Boileau, though the four-square image over-simplifies the case. He fell out with his long-standing friend Furetière (siding with the Académie Française over Furetière’s dictionary) and his collaborator Lully (who pulled out of composing the music for their projected opera Daphné – La Fontaine countering pointedly with a satirical poem). He and Perrault stayed on good terms despite taking opposing sides in a debate about literary principles.

Baldwin made his name writing about aspects of personal identity – race and homosexuality – when these were still contentious territories. Wright helped him get the grant that enabled him to move to France, though Baldwin later bit back. Fanon and Césaire were among writers he met at a pioneering 1956 conference. He knew King, Evers and Malcolm X personally, while Brando, Baker and Simone, all good friends of his, were involved with him in civil rights. Styron and he drank whiskey nightly till dawn, conversing about slavery. Algren said Baldwin, a noted preacher in his teens, had left the pulpit in order to preach.

The reclusive Donleavy’s ribald masterpiece proved a difficult act to follow. O’Brien and Kavanagh were Dublin drinking mates. Behan was the first to read the manuscript of ‘The Ginger Man’ (having broken into Donleavy’s house, taking and abandoning all his shoes on a trek to a country pub), and proposed Girodias as publisher; Donleavy described Behan as his “best enemy.” Girodias and the famously litigious Donleavy feuded for years, Donleavy’s killer punch being the purchase of Girodias’ bankrupt press. McGowan sought permission for a title, Fleming got advice about a copyright problem, while Redford and Huston both discussed film rights.