The Tragedy of Arthur_ A Novel - Arthur Phillips [114]
You’d be doing such a mitzvah, baby!
If it IS Shakespeare—just give it one teensy moment of your wise consideration—IF IT IS and you kick and scream that it’s not? Then either people will believe you and you’l succeed in tearing down Shakespeare himself, denying him a readership, proving, I suppose, once and for all that you’re his equal, if not absolutely his daddy. You could do that. So what of a little unstrained mercy for the lesser writer? As the better man—which I know you are—couldn’t you let him win this last one? 400 years from now no one will be reading him, but they will be reading you, so you could graciously lend your name to this project, say something nice. Stand aside and let the fellow have his day? As a favor to your sister, who still has a soft spot for him, even though she hereby acknowledges THAT SHE PREFERS YOUR WRITING AND YOU ARE A BETTER WRITER! Hemingway admitted he was no Tolstoy. Mailer admitted he was no Hemingway. I am sure Shakespeare would admit he was no Phillips, if he could.
Or, on the iron-fisted other hand, hold on one more second! THEY WON’T BELIEVE YOU. You’ll scream “fraud!” and they’ll laugh. You’ll be worse than the anti-Strat clowns. The serious American novelist who can’t even recognize Shakespeare when he reads it? Not good, Arthur M. Phillips, author of this, that, and the other thing, not good at all All your work will be dismissed at once: “You read Phillips? That Shakespeare dolt? Nobody reads him anymore.”
Think about it, bitch!
ps: Seriously? Seriously? Seriously? Shakespeare wrote it.
42
DATE: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:33:56 -0600
TO: Jennifer Hershey
CC: Marly Rusoff
SUBJECT: Bad problem
Jennifer, I am so very sorry to write this, especially considering your excitement last week. I really am at a loss. I am kind of in a state, to be honest. I feel like an ass. But we have to stop. I have changed my mind about this. I think we’re dealing with a fake. A really good fake, obviously, but a fake. I’m so sorry. Can you start turning this ship around? Of course, I will return the advance in full. (Please arrange, Marly.) SO SO sorry. Arthur.
FROM: “Hershey, Jennifer”
DATE: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:22:42 -0500
SUBJECT: Re: Bad problem
Dear Arthur,
This is probably a normal part of doing something like what we’re doing. I have to confess, I had sort of a weird night the other night. I woke up at one in the morning, and I was sure it was all wrong, somehow someone took us for a ride. Have you had nights like this too? I have never been involved in anything like this. Duh! Who has, really? I think your reaction is pretty normal. Did something happen? Did you learn something you can share with me? I hope, of course, that this is all still good, but, truly, if it’s going to go bad, let’s find out now, okay? If I don’t sound more worried, it’s because we got another off the Scholars List this morning. Just before you wrote, I heard from Ball, and he writes that he “can find in the text nothing to disprove the cover’s claims.” I love that line. Not the most courageous, but still. I really think when Verre gets the final forensics report we’ll be on much thicker ice. Even better, the copyright search is going great. White has no line of heirs or assignments, and the legal team is almost done clearing Burby. Piers Strickland has been fabulous. Really, I think it’s going to be fine. Are you around today? I’m going to try your cell right now. Otherwise call me after 3 your time?
Jennifer
PS: I can’t make out the jpeg. Is it a postcard? Speaking of postcards, I’m attaching some stuff for you to look over. I think the art dept did a great job on these. “pdf2a” is a card that would go out to all the accounts, review pages and bloggers.
The pdf showed the two sides of a postcard. The obverse had the iconic Chandos portrait of Shakespeare (with that appealing but very unlikely gold earring) and the reverse had the words “Do you believe in miracles? April 2011.” She also sent cover designs and plans for Twitter blasts and Facebook pages. Marly, meanwhile, sent