Saturday, October 14, 2023

HAVE I DIED OR AM I?

Recently a reader wondered why I have not written for a long time  anything for the abcofreading... part of the reason is the nearly fatal disappearance for me of GOING TO PATCHOGUE and while three other novels of mine have been published: PARTY OF PICTURES, THE BULGARIAN PSYCHIATRIST and EMPTY AMERICAN LETTERS they are to a very large extent hidden from the world... though there was  a Bulgarian version of DIPTYCH BEFORE DYING which sadly has not been published in English


                                                      TWO

As some might remember, Dalkey Archive Press a long time ago published two novels of mine: THE CORPSE DREAM OF N. PETKOV and  GOING TO PATCHOGUE.

    THE CORPSE DREAM OF N. PETKOV remains in print in paper from Northwestern University Press and a Bulgarian version is in print from Ciela in Bulgaria.


                              THREE


GOING TO PATCHOGUE    was published in 1992 and was well reviewed across the country with major reviews in The New York Times, Newsday, The Chicago Tribune and The Los Angeles Times.  It was reprinted once. A paperback version appeared in 2010 and was allowed to disappear.  A copy of the hardcover of GOING TO PATCHOGUE is available from Amazon at $540.25 and a paper version is avilablew at $32.00.


                               FOUR

I will not repeat the whole depressing and sad story of my relationship with the founder and owner of DalkeyArchive Press as John O'Brien sadly drank himself to death and left a major publishing enterprise to its fate.  O'Brien was even godfather to my daughter Elizabeth.


                                     FIVE

At the moment some titles from the vast Dalkey Archive list are being reprinted by Deep Vellum Press in Texas.  One can hope that GOING TO PATCHOGUE  will be one of those books but...  the BUT... I wonder: if LARVA  by Julian Rios, if the long long new novel by James McCourt will ever see light--- a book which John O'Brien promised to see into print--- or even if the issue of the Review of Contemporary Fiction focued upon James McCourt will ever see the klight of the day though it was set in type... and there is Ken Tindall's BANKS OF THE SEA?... or or....


                                            SIX

At AMAZON a reader can find  my last three books: THE BULGARIAN PSYCHIATRIST, PARTY OF PICTURES and EMPTY AMERICAN LETTERS  along with THE CORPSE DREAM OF N. PETKOV

    THE BULGARIAN PSYCHIATRIST draws  upon the life of George K to describe the consequences of the grand lie in the center of modern Bulgarian life.  PARTY OF PICTURES is a comedy based on a St. Patrick's Day party that never ends.  EMPTY AMERICAN LETTERS is a journey about Bulgaria-- mostly on the aerial tollway of a soul--- provoked by the violent useless death of an American woman in Upstate New York...the novel concludes in the end of the last Crusade at the Battle of Varna...





3 comments:

Anonymous said...


Hi Tom,

Good to read that you are still ticking.

Will have to get this book that "draws upon the life of George K to describe the consequences of the grand lie in the center of modern Bulgarian life."

If you are in a mood to exchange a few words – is your email address still @hotmail?

Richard
(The Grass Roots Tavern Boys Club)

Thomas McGonigle said...

yes, my email is tmcgonigle@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

Thank you.
Read your answer a moment ago.
Richard