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]

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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

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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

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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. She then breaks sided infatuations with the Swiss out of the house. Macy leaves her rule against liquor being journalist and novelist Annemarie town vowing revenge and quickly consumed in the building and Clarac-Schwarzenbach and the returns to his old ways, robbing brings out some bottles and American writer Katherine Anne gas stations and supermarkets and glasses and serves the men drinks. Porter. Similarly, the motif of the becoming a suspect in a murder. This is how the café starts. Over romantic triangle is regarded as a He is eventually arrested and the course of the following four distorted rendering of the situation sentenced to serve time in a years it gradually expands: tables between McCullers, her husband, penitentiary near Atlanta. and chairs are brought in and and the American composer David meals are served. The café's Diamond. One April evening eleven years growth is due largely to Miss later, Miss Amelia and several Amelia's compassion for Cousin Plot and Major Characters townspeople are sitting on her Lymon's fear of the night: the porch when a hunchbacked The Ballad of the Sad Café is set in a company and pleasure the stranger named Lymon Willis customers bring help him pass the small mill town in Georgia, where shows up. Claiming to be a distant hours. Six years later Macy Miss Amelia Evans lives alone in a relation of Miss Amelia, "Cousin boarded-up building. Most of the returns to town. Cousin Lymon, Lymon," as he comes to be hearing that he has been to story is told in a flashback that known, is a sociable if somewhat explains how "Miss Amelia" came Atlanta and been in jail, becomes shallow character who has "an infatuated with this dangerous to her present situation. We learn instinct which is usually only found that the building she lives in was a character and follows him around. in small children, an instinct to For his part, Macy shows nothing general store she inherited from establish immediate and vital but contempt and disgust for her father. Miss Amelia is described contact between himself and all as a tall, somewhat masculine Lymon. Miss Amelia endures things in the world." Miss Amelia Cousin Lymon's refocused woman who becomes the richest takes him in. The next day, affection, tolerates his giving Macy person in town from her earnings however, Cousin Lymon is

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liquor, puts up with his making fun on an individual and his or her Nonetheless, The Ballad of the Sad of her gangly walk, and even bears community. Critics note that Café is generally regarded as one with his asking Macy to live with McCullers was particularly of her best works of fiction. The them, because she knows that if interested in the paradox of 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s saw she were to drive Macy away, she shared isolation, a term that renewed interest in McCullers's would lose Cousin Lymon. The describes the relationships body of work. During these climax of the story occurs when among the three main decades numerous studies the hatred between Miss Amelia characters and between the appeared on the novella that and Macy explodes in a fist fight. three and their community as focused on issues such as the After thirty minutes or so of well. role of the narrator, the nature struggling, Miss Amelia is about to of love, the relationship between Critical Reception win the fight when Lymon the text and the traditional ballad form, its mythical qualities, its suddenly leaps onto her back and On the initial publication of The connection to the Southern claws at her throat, enabling Macy Ballad of the Sad Café, Tennessee Gothic tradition, and its to get the upper hand. During the Williams wrote that it is representation of sexuality and night Macy and Lymon destroy the "assuredly among the gender. café, steal Miss Amelia's masterpieces of our language in belongings, and break her still; by the form of the novella." V. S. [https://www.enotes.com/topics/ morning, they have left town. For Pritchett considered it evidence ballad-sad-cafe/critical-essays] three years Miss Amelia waits for that McCullers was "the most Cousin Lymon to return. remarkable novelist... to come Eventually giving up hope, Amelia out of America for a boards up the house and locks generation." William Clancy herself in. stated that the work's "metaphysical fusion of horror Major Themes and compassion" represented As many critics have pointed "an achievement equaled by few out, The Ballad of the Sad other contemporary American Café reflects McCullers's writers." The critical reaction fascination with freaks, misfits, and has not been unanimously grotesques. For her, such favorable, however. Robert characters best embodied the Drake has called The Ballad of loneliness and isolation that she the Sad Café "ridiculous . . . with regarded as the basic condition of its fabricated primitivistic human existence. Other themes— folkishness." Lawrence Graver all of which bear on the novella's has argued that while the novella central concern with loneliness— is "by far the best of Mrs. include the failure of McCullers's excursions into the communication, the anguish of grotesque . . . it is not without unrequited love, the psychological reminders of the penumbral phenomenon that causes human insistence that mars her worst beings who are worshiped to work," namely the sense that despise the worshiper, and the "too much is made of dark redemptive and transformative nights of the soul and of things effects that even transitory and going on there that only God ultimately doomed love can have can understand."

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Notes

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