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Inventing New Orleans: Writings of Lafcadio Hearn

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Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) is generally known for his groundbreaking work on the culture and folklore of Japan.

Less well known, despite the fact that it has been just as influential in its way, is the body of Hearn's Louisiana work. "Inventing New Orleans" -edited by S. Frederick Starr and published by University Press of Mississippi - is an admirable collection of Hearn's writings from the decade he spent in New Orleans prior to leaving the U.S. - first for Martinique and then, ultimately, Japan. From 1878 until 1888 Hearn lived in The Crescent City, and through a series of news articles, editorials, reviews, literary sketches (most published in the New Orleans "Daily City Item" and the New Orleans "Times-Democrat") and two studies of Creole culture, fashioned the romantic idea of New Orleans as a city of mystery, magic and wantonness that has endured to the present day. Nothing short of prolific, Hearn also translated books from the French and penned stories, poems, belles letters and a novel while in New Orleans.

"Inventing New Orleans" includes a small (considering Hearn's output) but thoroughly enjoyable selection of this material. The book is comprised of four sections as follows:

I. The Outsider as Insider: Impressions
II. From the Land of Dreams: Sketches
III. Of Vices and Virtues: Editorials
IV. Reports from the Field: Longer Studies

Sections I and II, each very similar in style and subject matter, are my personal favorites. Here, Hearn describes and discourses upon a variety of subjects pertaining to the City Care Forgot in a slice-of-life literary manner. Hearn's first impressions of New Orleans, famous residents of the city (the most well known of which is no doubt Marie Laveau), legends, traditions and myriad topical observations will be found in these pages.

Section III consists of a selection of editorials written for the "Daily City Item" and the "Times-Democrat". It is here that we see Hearn exercising his judgmental pen against political agendas to which he did not subscribe and social ills which he felt to be harming the city. He could not have been popular with the New Orleans police, for instance, judging from the scathing indictments against their alleged corruption to be found in this section.

Section IV includes selections from Hearn's two studies of Creole Culture: "La Cuisine Creole" and "Gombo Zhebes: Little Dictionary of Creole Proverbs. . .". I personally found the former, essentially a cookbook, to be rather dry reading. Those interested in culinary arts will no doubt find much of interest here. The latter is a collection of Creole proverbs, as the title implies, and is a joy to read for those interested in language and a glimpse into the social mind of the lost Creole culture.

All of this is preceded by an erudite introduction (written by the editor) which provides an overview and definition of Southern writing as well as an excellent thumbnail biography of Lafcadio Hearn.

If you are an admirer of Lafcadio Hearn or simply one who has known the haunting charms of The Crescent City, "Inventing New Orleans" will provide you with pages and pages of reading delight.

The impressionistic journalism of Lafcadio Hearn provides a more vivid first-hand picture of late nineteenth century America than any book I've read. As a classically-educated European and outsider with a penchant for the ghostly, Hearn's work also offers a nice counterpoint to Twain. The more fantastic passages (picturing a cotton press as a monster) Hearn himself later called too florid, but for the post-modern reader, it's a fitting route into old New Orleans. Few journalists of his day embraced places like Hearn. Having known destitution himself, Hearn writes from the bottom. He describes industry, architecture, manners, crime, clothes, furniture and flora while telling his stories. Those familiar with Hearn's later, more mature work in Japan know that he can both capture a society and retell a good ghost story, sometimes intertwining the two. I recommend this book to anyone seeking highly-visual, narrative vignettes of America's past underworlds.

While preparing for a trip to New Orleans, I came across this book and thought it might give me some interesting background info on the city. The book is a collection of stories and articles written in the late 1800's. Most don't relate to anything that a tourist could currently visit but it does give some interesting insight into the life of the city and Hearn is a fantastic writer.

I am a chef and restaurantuer who originally had a deep fascination with Creole cuisine. The section toward the end of the book with recipes was a bonus.

Anyone with a more than casual interest in New Orleans, Cajun/Creole, or life in the south back in the late 1800's will find this a worthwhile read.