Recent Adventures in New Orleans...
January 20, 2000
We started the day at the Cafe DuMonde where we ate beignets--these are sort of like square doughnuts without holes and they are sprinkled very liberally with powdered sugar. (We all looked like we had been snorting cocaine although we hadn't.)
More importantly, though, we visited Greenwood Cemetery where John Kennedy Toole is buried. (To find out why John Kennedy Toole is so important to me and possibly to you, just Click here). On this day back in 1969, Toole decided to leave on his trip to see the Hearst Mansion, Flannery O'Conner's home, and, I think, the birthplace of Marilyn Monroe before he would then circle back, stopping in a Biloxi, Mississippi woods to kill himself.
I came to New Orleans to officially release The Lost Soul Companion in honor of John Kennedy Toole. The January 20 anniversary was much more significant than the actual anniversary of his death because, for me, John Kennedy Toole is the ultimate Lost Soul. He represents so much promise coupled with intense despair. On January 20, Toole began an important journey, and I like to think that he wasn't entirely set on his grim destination. Troubled though he was, Toole could have simply chosen to wander the United states, get his head together, and try something different--choose to live.
January 21, 2000
My book signing at the Fauberg Marigny Bookstore was well-attended, and this pleased me since I am, technically, a nobody from Indiana.
One interesting note. At first I did not realize that the Fauberg Marigny was a gay/lesbian book shop. There were all kinds of books, magazines, and videos that I normally wouldn't get to see. (How to enlarge your penis, etc.) It turned out to be a very good experience though. Mr. Robinson, if you are reading this, thank you for your hospitality--and for teaching me about King cake.
I met lots of artists, some writers, and a videographer there. They all really connected with The Lost Soul Companion which made me happy. The only really awkward part was when one of the artists showed me some of his oil paintings. They were homo-erotic scenes of loving men with arrestingly pendulous testicles. They were very well-rendered; I just wasn't quite sure what to say!
All in all, it was a success. I am looking forward to doing many more signings all over the place. (My next stop is Madison, Wisconsin.)
January 22, 2000
Today we found Ignatius. On Canal Street there is a wonderful statue of Ignatius Reilly, the main character from John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces. He stands under the clock from an old department store that is significant to the story.
I have also seen a few Lucky Dog hot dog stands here. Don't know what I'm talking about? Read A Confederacy of Dunces!
I am sorry that Mr. Toole didn't live to appreciate his own success, but I am glad that New Orleans recognizes his accomplishments.