PULP WRITER
Paul S. Powers
edited by Laurie Powers
Bison Books $19.95
The first fifty pages of the book is made up of Laurie Powers' essay which details her battle with personal demons while she searches for more info on her late grandfather Paul S. Powers. The journey starts off as the subject of a college paper designed to help towards earning a bachelor's degree but as she digs deeper it becomes an all encompassing passion with her.
Laurie knew that her grandfather had been a pulp writer of sorts but until she started her search through musty manuscripts and the dim recesses of family memories, she didn't realise to what extent Paul Powers' writing defined him, made him the man he was. He wrote under at least eight pseudonyms, published hundreds of short stories and novellas in pulp magazines but no matter how much reader appreciation his stories brought him he had a burning ambition to produce more literary works. An ambition which would never be fully realised.
The second section of the book is made up of a diary written by Paul Powers that Laurie discovered amongst old papers. Although this is punctuated by entries from Laurie detailing a fascinating history of the pulp industry. One section reprints readers letters to the editor of Wild West Weekly and these are both informative and hilarious - it seems readers didn't appreciate women in their westerns. A section of one letter read - "keep the gals out of your magazines - they only spoil things". The letter was signed, yours till Sonny Tabor is hanged, Bud The Kid, Ohio.
Sonny Tabor was just one of the popular characters Paul S. Powers had created for the successful Wild West Weekly and thanks to Laurie's efforts there is a Dorchester paperback available that features a quartet of Sonny Tabor stories. Check it out HERE
The real meat of the book though is the diary itself which details Paul Powers' journey from dreamer to published writer, taking in scores of rejections along the way, a brief stint as a freelance joke writer and eventually success and a long career in the pulp magazines of the day. And although he claims to feel unqualified to guide wannabe writers his advice, delivered very much tongue in cheek, not only applies to the pulps but is equally relevant to the current market. In fact it's as good a "HOW TO WRITE WESTERNS" as I've ever read.
All in all this is an essential read - not only is it a family story, told with a remarkable level of truth but also a fascinating history of the pulps, particularly those that published westerns. Paul Powers may not have been a perfect man, often he was not even a likeable man, but he was a multi layered remarkable man with all the gifts and flaws of the human condition.
Pulp Writer can be purchased at all the usual online retailers as well as in good bookshops. The Amazon listing is HERE and a website devoted to the book that includes some great cover scans from Wild West Weekly can be found HERE.
Laurie Powers was interviewed some time ago by The Archive and the interview can be found HERE and Laurie also has her own blog which can be found HERE
5 comments:
TWENTY YEARS IN THE AMERICAN GRUB STREET is essential reading and I would recommend it along with THE BIG WESTERNER which chronicles the life of Max Brand. A very good double bill.
I am so pleased that you liked it Gary - thank you so much. I know my grandfather would have been very happy with your compliments. And I know he would have been proud of how you and the other Black Horse Western writers have kept the Western genre alive and well.
David - thank you so much! I actually haven't read The Big Westerner - it's on the top of my list now.
This sounds just fascinating. Both the writer and the hunt for him.
I watched something last night on Nova that reminds me of this. A musician is searching for the roots and for info about his physicist father.
Looks like my kind of 'self-help' book. Fascinating man...
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