Ballad of the Sad Café. Sad Café

BIBLIOTECA TECLA SALA April 25, 2019 The Ballad of the Sad Café Carson McCullers Few writers have expressed loneliness, the need for human understanding and the search for love with such power and poetic sensibility Contents: as the American writer Introduction 1 A Brief Author 2-3 Carson McCullers, and The Biography An introduction to 4-5 The Ballad of the Ballad of the Sad Café. Sad Café Notes 6 [https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/571/57128/the-ballad-of- the-sad-cafe/9780141183695.html] Page 2 A Brief Author Biography teenage girl. Through their stories, the characters reveal their frustrations, their loneliness and their isolation from those around them. While her career was taking off, McCullers was going through a difficult time personally. Separated from her husband, she joined several other literary and Early Life “Wunderkind,” published in the December 1936 issue artistic talents, such as author Originally Lula Carson Smith, of Story magazine, which was Richard Wright and composer Carson McCullers was born on edited by her former writing Leonard Bernstein, to live in a February 19, 1917, in Columbus, teacher, Whit Burnett. The story house in Brooklyn Heights, New Georgia. The daughter of a explored the painful revelation of York. Called the February House jewelry store owner, McCullers a young girl who discovers that by Anais Nin, the residence was first aspired to be a musician and she is not a musical prodigy. owned byHarper’s Bazaar editor started taking piano lessons at age George Davis. 10. Always sickly, McCullers Around the time of the story’s Divorced from her husband in fought a bout of rheumatic fever publication, McCullers was in her 1941, McCullers had mixed as a child, and it led her to move hometown recovering from an results with her second music to the back burner, a illness. She was in a relationship novel, Reflections in a Golden Eye, period during which she began with James Reeves McCullers Jr., which was published that same exploring writing. Nonetheless, in whom she had met through a year. (It had appeared earlier 1934 she headed off to New York friend. The following year, the in Harper’s Bazaar.) It drew a City, where she was to study at two married in September—a number of negative reviews but the famed Juilliard School of union that would prove to be had some commercial success. Music. quite stormy over the years. There was some jealousy Continuing her exploration of Once in New York, McCullers between the pair—her husband loneliness and isolation, the work abandoned music to pursue her also wrote—and both were was more provocative than her new literary passion. It's unclear if heavy drinkers. first novel, tackling issues relating she actually intended to go to to impotency, bisexuality, Juilliard or simply used the plan as Big Break infidelity, bestiality and murder. an excuse to go to New York and Some of elements of the In 1940, McCullers received an pursue writing. Regardless, with tumultuous relationships depicted enormous amount of critical music left behind, McCullers in this story may have been praise and commercial success jumped in with both feet, taking inspired by her own marriage— with her first novel, The Heart Is creative writing classes at both she and her husband were a Lonely Hunter. The work Columbia University and New bisexual and had affairs. centered on a deaf-mute who York University while working finds himself the sounding board The Ballad of the Sad Café odd jobs. for four members of a small That same year, Carson grappled Success came early to this young Georgia town—a restaurant with some more health issues. writer. At the age of 19, owner, a political activist, an But she also made her first visit McCullers had her first story, African-American doctor and a to the Yaddo artists’ colony in Page 3 Upstate New York, where she year with Tennessee Williams, a Legacy started her next major close friend, working on a stage work, The Ballad of the Sad Café, adaptation of The Member of the McCullers suffered a final stroke which was first published Wedding. In January 1950, her on August 15, 1967, which left in Harper’s Bazaar in 1943. In this play opened on Broadway to her in a coma for 46 days. She story, McCullers wrote about a strong reviews and won the died on September 29 at Nyack love triangle in a small Southern Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Hospital and was later buried at town, and some consider this to Best Play that year. the town’s Oak Hill Cemetery. be one of her best works. More than 200 people attended In the early 1950s, McCullers her funeral, including Capote, While she had divorced her spent a lot of time in Europe Williams and actresses Myrna husband, McCullers remained with her husband and such Loy and Julie Harris. close to Reeves and the pair literary friends as W. H. Auden, decided to remarry in 1945. Her Gore Vidal and Tennessee Shortly after her death, the first career continued to thrive with Williams. Reeves McCullers was film adaptation of Reflections in a the publication of the novella The increasingly depressed and Golden Eye was released, starring Member of the Wedding the wanted the pair to commit Marlon Brando and Elizabeth following year. Also in 1946, suicide together. Fearing for her Taylor. The following year, the McCullers met a young, gifted own well-being, McCullers film version of The Heart Is a writer named Truman Capote returned to the United States in Lonely Hunter (1968) appeared through her sister Rita. The two 1953, and Reeves ended his on the big screen and netted became fast friends, and own life in a Paris hotel by Academy Award nominations for McCullers helped launch taking an overdose of sleeping two of its stars—Alan Arkin and Capote's career. Unfortunately, pills in November of that year. Sondra Locke. the friendship later soured over In 1957, her play The Square In recent years, there has been a McCullers’ concerns that Capote Root of Wonderful opened on revived interest in McCullers’s may have used some of her Broadway, but it closed after work. Oprah Winfrey selected material and that he was not only 45 performances. Her final McCullers’s first novel, The Heart properly grateful for her novel, Clock Without Hands, was Is a Lonely Hunter, for her support. published in 1961 without popular book club in 2004, Health Concerns garnering much critical attention sending paperback sales soaring. or commercial interest. The More than 60 years after its Having struggled with health following year, McCullers had original publication, the novel’s problems much of her life, surgery to remove a cancerous themes of loneliness and McCullers was dealt a breast and another surgery to isolation still speak to today’s devastating blow in 1947 when repair her paralyzed left hand. readers. she had two strokes—one in Her final work, a collection of [https://www.biography.com/ August and one in November— children’s verse titled Sweet as a people/carson-mccullers- which left her paralyzed on one Pickle, Clean as a Pig, was 9391402] side. She grew increasingly published in 1964. Around this despondent over her poor time, Edward Albee’s adaptation health, leading to a suicide of McCullers’ The Ballad of the attempt in 1948. Recovering Sad Café debuted on Broadway, physically and emotionally from earning six Tony Award the incident, McCullers spent nominations. much of the latter part of the Page 4 An introduction to The Ballad of the Sad Café The Ballad of the Sad Café (1943) is with the store and a very nowhere to be seen. The third generally considered one of prosperous still that produces the day after his arrival, Miss Amelia McCullers's best works of fiction best liquor in the county. A grim stays holed up inside her house, and her most successful and solitary person, Miss Amelia leading one of the townspeople to exploration of her signature surprises the town when she speculate that she has murdered themes: loneliness and the effects agrees to marry Marvin Macy. A Lymon for something he had in his of unrequited love. McCullers was handsome and apparently suitcase. By nightfall, with the twenty-four-years-old when she industrious man, Macy has a rumor having spread throughout began writing the novella during history of nefarious and sadistic the town, a number of men come the winter of 1941. Citing her activities: he used to carry with to Miss Amelia's house and watch remark that "everything significant him the ear of a man he killed in a from the porch as she writes at that has happened in my fiction has razor fight; he has chopped off the the desk in her office. When she also happened to me," McCullers's heads of squirrels; and he has gets up to close her office door, biographer, Virginia Spencer Carr, abused several young girls. His the men sense that the moment noted that The Ballad of the Sad marriage to Miss Amelia lasts only has come for action and walk into Café was most likely inspired by ten days, mainly because, having the store. At that point Cousin several events in her life at this married only to gain Lymon emerges from the top of time. For example, the story's companionship, she refuses to the stairs and begins chatting with depiction of unreciprocated love is consummate the marriage. everyone. Miss Amelia comes out often seen as a grotesque Disgusted by his attempts to of her office and asks if anyone representation of her own one- seduce her, Miss Amelia puts him needs anything.

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