Wallace Markfield

Wallace Markfield (August 12, 1926, Brooklyn, New York, USA — May 24, 2002, Roslyn, New York) was an American comic novelist best known for his first novel, "To An Early Grave" (1964), about four men who spend the day driving across Brooklyn to their friend's funeral. He is also known for "Teitlebaum's Window" (1970), a comic novel about a Jewish boy growing up in Brooklyn in the 1930s and 1940s. Markfield was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1965 after the publication of "To an Early Grave".

Life

Markfield graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School, earning a B.A. from Brooklyn College in 1947, then doing his graduate work at New York University between 1948-1950. In 1948 he married Anna May Goodman, the couple had a daughter. He later taught creative writing at San Francisco State College (1966-68), Kirkland College (1968-69), and Queens College (1971-73). At the time of his death he had been working on a novel for eleven years. Markfield died of a heart attack in Roslyn, New York on May 24, 2002.

Work

In addition to "To An Early Grave" and "Teitlebaum's Window" Markfield also wrote "You Could Live If They Let You" (1974), "Multiple Orgasms" (1977) and "Radical Surgery" (1991). The 1991 thriller was conceived already in the end of 1970s. Throughout his writing career, Markfield also contributed at least 40 articles to periodicals. Dalkey Archive Press reissued "Teitlebaum's Window" in October 1999 and "To an Early Grave in December" 2000.

"Multiple Orgasms"

In an interview conducted in the spring of 1978 at Markfield's home in Port Washington, New York he said: " ["Multiple Orgasms"] was a first person narrative, completely through the eyes of a woman. I found it awfully tiresome after a while, though I never find women tiresome. But she became just a great bore to me. After about a hundred and seventy-five pages or so, I just gave up. It was getting nowhere." cite web | url = http://www.dalkeyarchive.com/interviews/show/51 | title = A Conversation with Wallace Markfield | accessdate = 2008-08-01 | last = O'Brien | first = John | year = 1978 ] It was published only as a limited edition of about three hundred copies, individually numbered and signed by the author.

Release details

* 1964 "To An Early Grave" (ISBN 1-56478-261-1)
* 1970 "Teitlebaum's Window" (ISBN 1-56478-219-0)
* 1974 "You Could Live If They Let You"
* 1977 "Multiple Orgasms"
* 1991 "Radical Surgery"

Cinema

In 1968 "To An Early Grave" was adapted for the screen under the title "Bye Bye Braverman", directed by Sidney Lumet and starring George Segal and Jack Warden.

ources

* [http://www.sc.edu/library/spcoll/amlit/markfield.html The Wallace Markfield Papers]