Walking New York: Theodore Dreiser on St. Luke's Place

Dreiser knew most everyone and every street in the neighborhood. One writer recalled seeing him at his place on St. Luke's Place in 1924 "working with his heavy head, too heavy even for his big body, held in his hands at the open window, trying to capture a mood or a color, laboring with words, arranging and rearranging them, with seldom a respite from his labors." The same writer recalled dropping in on Dreiser from time to time but never quite sure if the visit came as a pleasant distraction or as pleasant interruption.
Writers can get cranky, especially someone like Dreiser who once suffered from a terrible case of writer's block for three or so years. In trying to decide whether it's permissable or not to interrupt a person while he or she is working, it's very hard to know how to read a writer. The interruptions in this case turned out to be OK.
The work he started while living at 16 St. Luke's Place, An American Tragedy
The success of An American Tragedy allowed Dreiser to build a nice house upstate and later, to move to a more spacious apartment on W. 57th Street.
Note on postings this month: I am on vacation the rest of the month and will be posting infrequently and whimsically. I am not anywhere near a boat on the lake right now. Truth be known, I am writing this post from somewhere in the rolling hills of Virginia.
Image: No. 16 St. Luke's Place, Greenwich Village. Theodore Dreiser's residence in 1924. Part of a series of posts about the residents of a row of townhouses on St. Luke's Place.
You always make me miss Manhattan! The Midlife Gals here. Because we still have you on our faves list, I wanted to make sure that you have the URL to our new website!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.themidlifegals.com
Carryonregardless!
KK and SalGal