Customer Reviews

Back Then: Two Lives in 1950s New York

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For two people who both began their professional lives in editing and publishing, it is striking how this book, which describes that very beginning, is in need of a heavy editorial hand (Wachtel -- your hand ain't that merciless). The kind of repetition that is regularly encountered (how many times, and in how many pithy formulations do I have to be informed of the cliche that, "this generation" was the generation of freud fans) is not of an interesting artistic kind produced due the fact that there are two alternating narrative voices. Rather, each writer, repeats him and herself within his and her own narrative.

Stylistic quarrels aside, I was struck by what the authors say in their joint introduction about their first collaboration on an article; the piece, about walks in New York, they say, conveyed, "... too much immersion in fashion magazine prose." While, the authors' claim that they are intent on trying to not let "hindsight, regret and reconsideration" distort their account is too ridiculous to even critique, I do believe that they have successfully conveyed the extent to which the people that they were "back then" (if we are to believe them, this has no bearing on the authorial voice which represents these people!) were "too much immersed" in a certain kind of fashion magazine prose, or at any rate, a certain kind of "let's talk about shoes, hair and makeup and throw in a heavy dose of literary names and references for good measure"-prose.

It has to be admitted that Bernays and Kaplan err on different poles of this prose continuum. Bernays treats us to more excitable detail about socio-fashion related facts, Kaplan leans heavily on name-dropping, french-literary-phrase-dropping and posh-literary-gossip. Bernays tells us more about sex (hers and others'), divulges more about familial structures (though where, oh where, has her sister gone, and for that matter, how come I only find out close to the end that Kaplan has an older brother!). Essentially she's very much the charming hostess of this work, while Kaplan lives up to the character created (by both him and her) of being the somewhat taciturn but serious/serial literary insider (the sense of humor which both he and B claim he has, is something which he keeps very much under wraps in actually formulating his account.)

This book (as laid out in the intro) sees it self as being not in the memoire genre, but rather, as a glimpse into "lives" of a certain kind (class?) "back then." However, perhaps due to the authors' insistence to not let hindsight in, a potentially illuminating critical account is blocked (though to give her credit, Bernays slips up, and occasionally tries) -- such that I am given neither "two lives" (in the sense of two strong personal narratives) and nor am I really given the tools to understand the "everyman" of the world which K and B portray. So, basically the book reads to me like a peep into a cocktail party to which I'd never be invited (wrong class, wrong age, wrong clothes, wrong interests etc.); I can smell the delectable food, glimpse the martini glasses, and discern some muffled conversation and laughter -- but I can't quite make it out, the people seem artificial, out of date, and frankly, not all that interesting, and there's a better party going on round the corner.

This memoir is doubly delightful because it's written by two of the wittiest and most interesting contemporary writers. We see two visions of New York City life in the 1950's--one male, one female--and have the fun of watching how these two separate lives end up intertwining. (The authors are husband and wife.) The writing is bright and rich--you're in the hands of masters of style from start to finish.
Although anyone interested in the world of publishing will find the book riviting, BACK THEN will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers. It's an intriguing record of what the working world was like for educated women in the 50's (it's easy to forget today how things were before the Women's Movement!) and it's also a charming love story.
The two authors grew up wealthy and privileged, but in spite of this, they were clearly not spoiled. They knew and rubbed shoulders with a dazzling array of famous people (Bernays, for instance, is a great niece of Freud; Kaplan got to dance with Marilyn Monroe at a party,) and they bring us into their world with warmth and openness. There's no arrogance here. Both authors are able to smile at themselves and able to make us smile along with them. And smile we do! This is the kind of book that will keep you up reading late at night and make you want to wake your spouse so you can read aloud your favorite sections (if you haven't woken him or her already with your laughter.)
BACK THEN creates the best kind of reader dilemma: youll want to gobble up the story and at the same time you'll want to savor every line.

For two people who both began their professional lives in editing and publishing, it is striking how this book, which describes that very beginning, is in need of a heavy editorial hand (Wachtel -- your hand ain't that merciless). The kind of repetition that is regularly encountered (how many times, and in how many pithy formulations do I have to be informed of the cliche that, "this generation" was the generation of freud fans) is not of an interesting artistic kind produced due the fact that there are two alternating narrative voices. Rather, each writer, repeats him and herself within his and her own narrative.

Stylistic quarrels aside, I was struck by what the authors say in their joint introduction about their first collaboration on an article; the piece, about walks in New York, they say, conveyed, "... too much immersion in fashion magazine prose." While, the authors' claim that they are intent on trying to not let "hindsight, regret and reconsideration" distort their account is too ridiculous to even critique, I do believe that they have successfully conveyed the extent to which the people that they were "back then" (if we are to believe them, this has no bearing on the authorial voice which represents these people!) were "too much immersed" in a certain kind of fashion magazine prose, or at any rate, a certain kind of "let's talk about shoes, hair and makeup and throw in a heavy dose of literary names and references for good measure"-prose.

It has to be admitted that Bernays and Kaplan err on different poles of this prose continuum. Bernays treats us to more excitable detail about socio-fashion related facts, Kaplan leans heavily on name-dropping, french-literary-phrase-dropping and posh-literary-gossip. Bernays tells us more about sex (hers and others'), divulges more about familial structures (though where, oh where, has her sister gone, and for that matter, how come I only find out close to the end that Kaplan has an older brother!). Essentially she's very much the charming hostess of this work, while Kaplan lives up to the character created (by both him and her) of being the somewhat taciturn but serious/serial literary insider (the sense of humor which both he and B claim he has, is something which he keeps very much under wraps in actually formulating his account.)

This book (as laid out in the intro) sees it self as being not in the memoire genre, but rather, as a glimpse into "lives" of a certain kind (class?) "back then." However, perhaps due to the authors' insistence to not let hindsight in, a potentially illuminating critical account is blocked (though to give her credit, Bernays slips up, and occasionally tries) -- such that I am given neither "two lives" (in the sense of two strong personal narratives) and nor am I really given the tools to understand the "everyman" of the world which K and B portray. So, basically the book reads to me like a peep into a cocktail party to which I'd never be invited (wrong class, wrong age, wrong clothes, wrong interests etc.); I can smell the delectable food, glimpse the martini glasses, and discern some muffled conversation and laughter -- but it's all to fuzzy to make anything out, the people seem artificial, out of date, and frankly, not all that interesting, and there's a better party going on round the corner.

This is a fascinating look at a world most of us never get to see, by two people who know it intimately and write about it with both love and a highly refined sense of the absurd.

Glimpsing this world is like window-shopping on Fifth Avenue at Christmas. I couldn't put it down...