 Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | Andy Warhol |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
Publication date | 1968 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 451 p. |
a, also known as a: A Novel, is a 1968 book by the American artist Andy Warhol published by Grove Press. It is a nearly word-for-word transcription of tapes recorded by Warhol and Ondine over a two-year period in 1965–1967.
a: A Novel was the second of several publishing projects Andy Warhol produced in his lifetime. Warhol wanted to be a writer but, much like his film work, spontaneous performances and an explicit lack of editing was used as a device. [1] Warhol wanted to write a "bad" novel, "because doing something the wrong way always opens doors". [2] Four typists were employed to transcribe the Warhol/Ondine tapes. Maureen Tucker, the drummer for the Velvet Underground, was an expert typist. However, she refused to transcribe the swear words and left them out. Two high school girls were hired to work on some of the tapes. When one girl's mother heard what they were listening to she threw out the tape, losing several hours of conversation. All four hired typists transcribed the dialogue differently, some identifying the speakers, others not. The editor for a, A Novel, Billy Name, preserved the transcripts as is, with every typo and inconsistent character identification, and even moving from two column pages to single-column based on each typist's style. The final printed version was identical to the typed manuscripts. [3]
a: A Novel, Warhol's knowing response to James Joyce's Ulysses , was intended as an uninterrupted twenty-four hours in the life of Ondine, an actor who was famous mostly as a Factory fixture, Warhol film superstar and devoted amphetamine user. [4] Warhol told the press: "I followed an actor, Ondine, for 24 hours and taped 'everything—everywhere he went ... He talked with a hundred or so people." [5]
A taped conversation between Warhol and Ondine, the book was actually recorded over a few separate days, during a two-year period. The first recording probably took place on Friday, August 13, 1965 (based on a statement on page 17 by Ondine that he was going to see the Beatles the next Wednesday). The book is a verbatim printing of the typed manuscripts and contains every typo, abbreviation and inconsistency that the typists produced from the twenty-four tapes (each chapter is named for its respective tape and side, from "1/ 1" to "24/ 2"). Ondine's monologues and disjointed conversations are further fragmented by Warhol's insistence on maintaining a purity of the transcriptions.
The book is a roman à clef , meaning that the fictional characters are thinly disguised actual persons. The "cast" is itemized in the glossary written by Victor Bockris in the 1998 paperback edition. [6] A run-down of the major characters in the book are:
The first and last sections of a: A novel have been translated into Galician by Alberte Pagán. [7]
The book was published by Grove Press in November 1968. [8]
Warhol stated that the title "a" stands for nothing, but his studio manager, Paul Morrissey said it "stands for amphetamine ... the stuff people take. Makes you talk." [5] In his glossary for the 1998 edition of a: A Novel, Victor Bockris cites Billy Name as the source for the title; "a" refers to both amphetamine use and as an homage to e. e. cummings. [9] The title in both editions published by Grove Press in 1969 and 1998 use the a: A Novel format.
Randy Fields of The Charlotte Observer wrote: "'A' is an experience. It is not a novel. It is more a perverted happening than anything else. ... It's supposed to be exciting; It's dull and boring. The characters are supposed to be way out interesting full of life beautiful people. They're dull and almost pathetic and hopelessly lost in a world they can't face If anything can redeem. [10]
Donald Stanley of the San Francisco Examiner wrote: "A" is outrageous enough to last until Warhol finishes another movie or discovers a next step. Music? In the meantime, his novel has one advantage over the competition: You can start anywhere at random and read forward or leaf backward and it all comes out the same." [11]
John Raymond of TheAtlanta Journal-Constitution wrote: "a" is very much like Andy Warhol's movies, especially "The Chelsea Girls" ... All very interesting. Well, not all—most of it, in fact, is dull. But the experiment, while maybe not original, is worthwhile." [12]
Andy Warhol was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol is considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture that flourished by the 1960s, and span a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, and filmmaking. Some of his best-known works include the silkscreen paintings Campbell's Soup Cans (1962) and Marilyn Diptych (1962), the experimental film Chelsea Girls (1966), and the multimedia events known as the Exploding Plastic Inevitable (1966–67).
Edith Minturn Sedgwick Post was an American actress, model, and socialite, who was one of Andy Warhol's superstars, starring in several of his short films during the 1960s. Her prominence led to her being dubbed an "It Girl", while Vogue magazine named her a "Youthquaker".
Brigid Emmett Berlin, also known as Brigid Polk, was an American artist and Warhol superstar.
Warhol superstars were a clique of New York City personalities promoted by the pop artist Andy Warhol during the 1960s and early 1970s. These personalities appeared in Warhol's artworks and accompanied him in his social life, epitomizing his dictum, "In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes". Warhol would simply film them, and declare them "superstars".
Eric Emerson was an American musician, dancer, and actor. Emerson is best known as a Warhol superstar and as a member of the seminal glam punk group the Magic Tramps.
The Factory was Andy Warhol's studio in Manhattan, New York City, which had four locations between 1963 and 1987. The Factory became famed for its parties in the 1960s. It was the hip hangout spot for artists, musicians, celebrities, and Warhol's superstars. The original Factory was often referred to as the Silver Factory. In the studio, Warhol's workers would make silkscreens and lithographs under his direction.
I, a Man is a 1967 American erotic drama film written, directed and filmed by Andy Warhol. It debuted at the Hudson Theatre in New York City on August 25, 1967. The film depicts the main character, played by Tom Baker, in a series of sexual encounters with eight women. Warhol created the movie as a response to the popular erotic Scandinavian film I, a Woman, which had opened in the United States in October 1966.
Victor Bockris is an English-born, U.S.-based author, primarily of biographies of artists, writers, and musicians.
Paul Johnson, better known as Paul America, was an American actor who was a member of Andy Warhol's Superstars. He starred in one Warhol-directed film, My Hustler (1965), and also appeared in Edie Sedgwick's final film Ciao! Manhattan (1972).
St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church is a Ruthenian Greek Catholic church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the neighborhood of Four Mile Run, which is an isolated section of Greenfield at the bottom of Junction Hollow. Its address is 506 Saline Street.
Julia Warhola was the mother of the American artist Andy Warhol. She was an artist in her own right and provided the calligraphy to her son's artwork.
Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the city's North Side neighborhood at 1437 Superior Avenue. Today it is best known as the church from which the funeral services of artist Andy Warhol were held in 1987.
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol is a 1975 book by the American artist Andy Warhol. It was first published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
POPism: The Warhol '60s is a 1980 memoir by the American artist Andy Warhol. It was first published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. The book was co-authored by Warhol's frequent collaborator and friend, Pat Hackett.
L'Amour, also known as Andy Warhol's L'Amour, is a 1972 underground film written and directed by Paul Morrissey and Andy Warhol. The film stars Donna Jordan, Michael Sklar, Jane Forth, and Max Delys.
Victor Hugo, born Victor Rojas, (1948–1994) was a Venezuelan-born American artist and window dresser best known as the partner of fashion designer Halston.
The Garrick Cinema was a 199-seat movie house at 152 Bleecker Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Andy Warhol debuted many of his notable films in this building in the late 1960s. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention played here nightly for 6 months in 1967.
Ivy Nicholson was an American model and actress.
Andy Warhol's Pork is the first and only play by Andy Warhol. It was directed by Anthony Ingrassia, produced by Ira Gale, and stage-managed by Leee Black Childers. Pork opened on May 5, 1971, at La MaMa Experimental Theatre in New York City for a two-week run. It was brought to the Roundhouse in London for a six-week run in August 1971.
Pat Hackett is an American author, screenwriter, and journalist. Hackett was a close friend and collaborator of pop artist Andy Warhol. They co-authored the books POPism: The Warhol Sixties (1980) and Andy Warhol's Party Book (1988). She also edited TheAndy Warhol Diaries (1989). Hackett was an editor for Interview magazine and she co-wrote the screenplay for the film Bad (1977).
