authors under the influence

[robinlandseadel at comcast.net]

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Paul Mackin <paul.mackin at verizon.net

"My speculation would be that, though the attraction of drugs and even more so booze as an aid to the creative process is considerable, an ambitious novelist is only going to turn to really HEAVY use as a last resort. Proust needed dangerous substances just to keep going physically and mentally. He knew he was poisoning himself and shortening his life. It was a calculated trade off. . Incidentally he thought of himself as a pretty competent toxicologist."

That pretty much applies to Glenn Gould as well. Throw in Gould's self-imposed social isolation and it looks like were talking about soul brothers.

"To make the point here's a connection to  Pynchon. If a general of the British Empire were to be sexually defiled by a little Dutch girl in the early 1920's Pynchon would never have been able to eat lunch in New York again.,"

Sorry, you've lost me there. I suppose I might be a little dim as of this moment, but could you please provide me a little more context?