Pulp According to David Goodis

The Noir Of David Goodis

American artistic accomplishment can be found in seemingly unlikely places. At the time of his death, David Goodis (1917 -- 1967) and his paperback original pulp fiction had been virtually forgotten. Gradually, some readers developed an interest in Goodis. In 1997, the Library of America included his novel "Down There" in a volume of 1950's noir fiction. In 20012, the LOA published a volume devoted to Goodis, including five additional novels. These two volumes helped me and many other readers discover Goodis. I went on to purchase and read some of Goodis' additional novels that were available and relatively accessible. I read Philip Garnier's own English translation of his biography: "Goodis: A Life in Black and White" (2013) and watched the film adaptations that I could find of Goodis' writings. I loved this author that I had only recently discovered.

I was glad to find this outstanding new critical study of Goodis, "Pulp According to David Goodis" by Jay Gertzman, Professor Emeritus of English at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. Gertzman specializes in American publishing history and is an authority on Goodis: with our shared interest, he and I became acquainted through several online sites. Gertzman kindly sent me a review copy of his book.

Born in Philadelphia, Goodis worked as a Hollywood screen writer and wrote several novels before returning to Philadelphia where he lived in his parents' home for the rest of his life. In Philadelphia, Goodis wrote the series of "paperback originals" or pulp fiction for which he is best--known today. Gertzman's book delves deeply into Goodis' life and writings with an emphasis on several of the books he wrote upon his return to Philadelphia with their lyrically dark exploration of Philadelphia's lower-class neighborhoods and their inhabitants.

Gertzman places Goodis and pulp writing within the context of American literature. Goodis and other pulp writers once were not taken seriously, a situation that has fortunately changed. Gertzman distinguishes between American "authors" who wrote serious, thoughtful books for demanding readers and American "writers" who wrote to be popular and to entertain. Goodis self-described himself as in the latter category. With the market for throwaway pulp paperbacks that sold for about a quarter, Goodis and his publishers aimed to reach a large market. Gertzman develops six characteristics of the genre crime, noir novels Goodis wrote which were designed to appeal to readers seeking a titillating read through identifiable characters and situations. If that were all there was to Goodis, he would not deserve the attention he has received. Gertzman shows how Goodis took the conventions in which he worked and developed them with originality and feeling based largely on his own creativity and experiences. The distinction between "author" and "writer" or between "serious" literature and "trash" ultimately becomes blurred and in the case of a gifted author such as Goodis seriously misleading.

In his study, Gertzman combines analysis of Goodis' novels with analysis of the work of Freud and Kafka, among others. He offers a history of Philadelphia in the years after WW II as it became the setting of much of Goodis' writing. Gertzman discusses the themes that pervade Goodis' fiction, including poverty, fate, the failed search for intimacy, conflicts in recognizing and fulfilling one's sexual needs, entrapment in a destructive way of life, loneliness, and ultimately, the possibility of a redeemed life in the middle of failure. The Goodis hero as a "noble loser" and the characterization of Goodis' writing as "doomed romanticism" are themes that run through this study. Gertzman sometimes takes a novel and offers a sustained, close reading. In other instances, he examines a work of Goodis, sometimes more than once, based upon a variety of themes the work presents.

With the LOA volumes and other works that are reasonably accessible, some of Goodis is still difficult to find. Some of Gertzman's most detailed analyses are of works that I and most readers probably still have been unable to find and read. Thus, in his opening chapter, Gertzman offers a detailed reading of Goodis' 1952 paperback original "Street of the Lost" and shows how this work captures the themes of Goodis' output in its own inimitable way. I enjoyed learning about what seems to be a fascinating, violent book and am sorry that it is not in print or easily accessible.

In his final chapter, Gertzman offers another detailed analysis of Goodis' final novel "Somebody's Done For" (1967). This also is one of Goodis' less accessible titles. Readers of Goodis have mixed responses to this late work, with some disliking the book and others finding it a masterpiece in its way. Gertzman is of the latter opinion and discusses the book convincingly and well, concluding that it is a "tragedy of the common man". I learned a great deal about Goodis from Gertzman's discussion of "Somebody's Done For" and would love to have the opportunity to read the novel itself.

Gertzman also offers thematically-oriented discussions of Goodis novels I have read, centering upon their Philadelphia locations, including "Cassidy's Girl" "The Moon in the Gutter", "Street of No Return" the "Blonde on the Street Corner" and, of course "Down There" (which became a famous movie, "Shoot the Piano Player") His discussions of these books are wonderfully evocative. He discusses "Of Tender Sin", a book I have read, which explores themes of incest as it wanders through Philadelphia's mean streets. Gertzman also offers a perceptive reading of "The Burglar", a work with a discussion of the nature of loyalty and morality which also became a film with Jayne Mansfield as a major character. This is a work of Goodis which has long fascinated me and which is readily accessible in the LOA volume.

Gertzman devotes a chapter of his study to a discussion of Kafka and to parallels between Kafka and Goodis. He uses Kafka with insight at several points in his study. While the discussion of Kafka is illuminating, I found that this study works best when it focuses on Goodis' own books and on his life and on the settings of his writings.

I became absorbed in reading Gertzman's study and wanted to think about Goodis again, to reread the works I know and to read some of his books for the first time. The book helped me understand why I was so taken with Goodis when I found him. He may not be for every reader. Those who love Goodis and who are interested in noir and pulp fiction will learn a great deal from Gertzman's study.

Robin Friedman