The story of a wild
Prohibition-era Manhattan party is
told in syncopated verse inspired by
the jazz rhythms of the day. First
published in a limited edition of
750 in 1928 and promptly banned in
Boston, William Burroughs read it in
1938 and later explained, "It's the
book that made me want to be a
writer." It was reissued in a
toned-down version in 1968, but it
wasn't until after Art Spiegelman (Maus)
chanced upon an original edition in
a used book store that the complete
text of the poem would find large
distribution, now greatly enhanced
by Spiegelman's signature
illustrations which capture the jump
and hustle of the rhymes. The result
is a fusion of Gatsby-esque
decadence and Frans Masereel's
urban gloom that is titillating,
exhilarating, and engigglating.
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The book can be read in an
hour but will stick with you
much longer, which is easy
to believe when you consider
such memorable lines which
taken out of context often
sound like limmericks:
His woman at present
was Mae.
She was blonde, and
slender, and gay:
A passionate flirt,
So dumb that it hurt,
And better for night
than for day.
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The plot is simple: Queenie the
burlesque showgirl and Burns the
Vaudeville clown throw a wang dang
doodle which quickly degenerates
into drunkeness, infidelity, and
violence. And though it depicts a
down and dirty time, the verse is
sophisticated as Cole Porter and
the design is ultrastylish and tres
moderne, the synergy of
words and pictures as
exuberant as Pull My Daisy.
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Hot Tip
for Teachers!
The Wild
Party is the
perfect companion to The
Great Gatsby, capturing
as it does the spirit of
the one party where Nick
Carraway ties one on.
Also see The
City and Flood!
for more city
stories.
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