Joe Gould (Bohemian)

Joseph Ferdinand Gould (1889-1957) was an American writer.

Gould was born in a small suburb outside Boston. In 1911, he graduated from Harvard with a bachelor’s degree in Literature, even though his family wanted him to become a physician. He traveled to Canada, exploring its landscape, and then came back to Boston. In 1915, he did field work for the Eugenics Record Office in Spring Harbor. He then went to North Dakota to study the Chippewa’s and Mandan’s culture. He gained respect for their culture and he also learned how to ride horses, dance, and sing.

When 1917 came, he went to New York and worked as a reporter for the "New York Evening Mail". During his time at the newspaper, he had his epiphany for the longest book ever written. He would title this book "An Oral History of Our Time". The book was supposedly based on a word for word account of people’s lives, which Gould had listened to. In reality, the book never existed.

Joe Gould stood a mere five foot four inches and weighed no more than 100 lbs., but he said that he hoped his work would make a larger impression. His energy and his obsession with his work inspired such men as E.E. Cummings, Joseph Mitchell, Don Freeman, and William Saroyan. Mitchell later wrote a book about Gould called "Joe Gould's Secret" (1965).

ee also

Joe Gould's Secret
Joe Gould's Secret (film)

References

*Wallechinsky, David, and Irving Wallace, "Biography of American Writer Joe Gould Part 1-3", Trivia-Library.Com, "The People's Almanac", 11 November 2007 [http://www.trivia-library.com/b/biography-of-american-writer-joe-gould-part-1.htm]