Fare Forward: Letters from David Markson

July 26 ’06

Simso — Love—

What sort of dummy includes an extra blank sheet in a letter?⁸⁹

No, it is not Joanna Scott.⁹⁰ She once worked in my ex-wife/ agent’s⁹¹ office, and wrote me a lovely (more than lovely) letter re my work more recently, & I finally got around to reading her, which is why I asked your reaction (mine=great prose) — but the one who says she is “besotted” with me is someone else (also good). What is this madness, regarding someone who is exactly (let me calculate), yes, one year, four months, & 25 days short of his 80^th birthday! Women are mad (deliciously so, but mad).

Another Country Heard From⁹²—great — except if it is all Japan — then, NO. Too real, precise, etc.

I’m glad things seem good — i.e., that your time is your own. There is nothing wrong in using much of it to just sit and stare. And daydream. (Or, even, to recall America from afar.)

Forgive the scrawl, eh? Again, the humidity is dense enough to swim through. Forgive the prose also, as bad as “the sea that continues endlessly widely.” Worse. It is 4:00 p.m. and I am lately half-asleep at this hour. (Even only five years ago I would have revised/rewritten this.)

Yes, the last book all signed, etc. Title: The Last Novel. But not scheduled until next spring — probably late spring. I did say my two old private eye things (in one volume) will be out in November, no? Not sure I’m happy re same.

Hey, end of fancy page.

Much love, & to Corey—

D.

89 David’s letter is written on that “blank sheet”—it came from a typical Japanese letter set, which contains paper, envelopes and stickers, all in a matching cute design. On this one is the phrase: “I want the heart and the strength which became clear like this beautiful sea that continues endlessly widely,” along with a picture of a smiling cloud saying: “Hello!!”

90 I was guessing who the “attractive middle-aged good novelist” he’d mentioned as having a crush on him was.

91 Elaine Markson.

92 A title I was contemplating for my second book, which would ultimately be called Stranger.