RERUM
Iíve been reading On Green Dolphin Street by Sebastian Faulks for a few weeks now. Itís been an easy ride ñ characters that insinuate themselves into the consciousness so that they co-exist with oneís own friends & acquaintances; a vivid evocation of time & place (1959/60, Manhattan & London; Kennedyís knock-down-drag-out presidential battle with Nixon; jazz clubs, bars, Greenwich Village parties); a deceptively leisurely narrative that draws along with it an undertow of tension.
Today (casually reading between lessons at school) I found myself just the other side of an extraordinarily moving account of the death of a parent. Measured, simple yet graceful & fluent language ñ an acute picture of loss & bereavement capped by repressed, altogether English self-restraint. Itís a remarkable piece of writing that achieves that projection of the universal from the particular that one seeks (& but so rarely finds) in novels. It moved me greatly. My next class filed in as I dabbed at my eyes!
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The first night of ASK FOR THE MOON is only a week away now. Rehearsals are long & intensive. My lace makers are now adept & the wooden bobbins are flying like jugglerís batons. My sweatshop workers fire up the three industrial sewing machines that we have on hire with professional abandon, running lengths of material under the hammering needles whilst firing their lines back & forth.
Problems, of course. C. ñ my central actor, playing 78-year-old Lil ñ has interviews at Oxford colleges on the day of the dress rehearsal & the day of the first night. If she interviews well & gets into the college of her choice sheíll be back by 4.00 PM. If not, sheíll be trawled around all the other colleges for the rest of that day & the greater part of the next. A barbaric system that must entail bitter disappointment & long journeys home for many prospective candidates. And if sheís one such, weíll have to pull the first night & then accommodate a distraught C., convinced against all persuasion otherwise that sheís ruined her higher education prospects & let down her fellow performers all within the space of 36 hours.
I have a notion that she'll get there, weíll get there & that the play will cast its spellÖ
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The following pro forma letter is offered free of charge to all who might need it. It certainly beats the hell out of, ìKiss my ass, you sad losersîÖ
Dear ......
Thank you for your letter rejecting my application for employment with your firm.
I have received rejections from an unusually large number of exceptionally well
qualified organizations. With such a varied and promising spectrum of rejections from which to select, it is impossible for me to consider them all.
After careful deliberation, then, and because a number of firms have found me more unsuitable, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your rejection. Despite your company's outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet with my requirements at this time. As a result, I shall be starting employment with your firm on the first of the month.
Circumstances change and one can never know when new demands for rejection arise. Accordingly, I will keep your letter on file in case my requirements for rejection change. Please do not regard this letter as a criticism of your qualifications in attempting to refuse me employment. I wish you the best of luck in rejecting future candidates.
Yours Sincerely...
11:35:07 PM 
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