Category Archives: Writers Gone Wild

Scott Lynch is my newest favorite writer, even though I haven’t read any of his books

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Bill Peschel

And it’s not just because he has awesome hair that’s a brush-up and a bit of Aquanet away from becoming sentient. Scott Lynch writes a sci-fi series about pirates on an alien world, and some nutbar who only read excepts … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century | 3 Comments

So Does Hilary Mantel Hate Kate Middleton, Royalty, Women or No One?

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Bill Peschel

In brief: “double Booker Award winner” (as one newspaper put it) Hilary Mantel, who wrote a couple of books about Henry VIII and his wives, was asked to give a speech for the London Review of Books on the subject … Continue reading →

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Oscar Wilde and the Tale of Two Cards (1895)

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Bill Peschel

On this day in 1895, the Marquess of Queensberry barged into the Albemarle Club demanding to see one of its members. Told that Oscar Wilde was not in, Queensberry brought out one of his cards, scrawled a few words on … Continue reading →

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Like Father, Like Son: Ernest Hemingway’s Father Kills Himself (1928)

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Bill Peschel

On this day in 1928, Dr. Clarence Hemingway spent the morning at his office, then entered his home in Oak Park, Illinois, for lunch. He burned personal papers in the basement furnace. Then he walked up the stairs to his … Continue reading →

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John Camden Hotten: The Pornographer’s Revenge (1873)

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Bill Peschel

For once, a “Writers Gone Wild” essay about something that happened on this day, June 16, 1873. In the annals of dirty dealings by book publishers, John Camden Hotten occupies a category of his own. Part Larry Flynt for his … Continue reading →

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Shirley Jackson Casts A Curse (1948)

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Bill Peschel

The following is another essay cut from “Writers Gone Wild” for lack of space (although Shirley’s encounter with Dylan Thomas did make it into the book). While Shirley Jackson made her bones with her creepy short story “The Lottery” and … Continue reading →

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Charles Manson and Me

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Bill Peschel

As much as I am a nut about anything, I’ve been interested in true crime. Television fueled it at first, especially the “Dragnet” TV show. I’m not sure why. In my naturally induced depressive state, something is always out there, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1960-1976, 20th Century, Hollywood Gone Wild, Writers Gone Wild | Comments Off

Jack Kerouac Gets Run Over (1957)

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Bill Peschel

Here’s another essay that didn’t make it into “Writers Gone Wild,” this time about Jack Kerouac and the explosive response to “On the Road” “Everything exploded” Jack Kerouac wrote about the day “On the Road” was published. Unfortunately for him, … Continue reading →

Posted in 20th Century, Writers Gone Wild | 1 Comment

Rupert Brooke’s Party Trick (1909)

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Bill Peschel

A number of essays didn’t make it into “Writers Gone Wild.” This is one about the British poet, Rupert Brooke: The English poet Rupert Brooke was part of a group Virginia Woolf termed the “Neo-pagans,” who might best be described … Continue reading →

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The ‘Tremendous Disliker’: A.L. Rowse

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Bill Peschel

The British scholar A.L. Rowse was renowned for his contributions to Shakespearean studies, but the interest in the sale of his library after he died in 1997 was more for what he wrote in the margins of his books than … Continue reading →

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