August 2019 – Page 2 – Ann S. Epstein Writer

Learn History Through Fiction: A Coke is a Coke

After a successful career as a commercial artist in the 1950s, Andy Warhol became an avant-garde artist and a film maker at his studio, The Factory, in the 1960s. His iconic images of pop stars (Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali) and American products (Campbell’s soup, Coca Cola) brought him fame. His dictum was “A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking.” Warhol is also known for claiming, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” Warhol was more entrepreneurial in the 1970s, founding Interview magazine and publishing The Philosophy of Andy Warhol. He said, “Making money is art, and working is art, and good business is the best art.” Read more about Andy Warhol in A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (see NOVELS).

Warhol erased the line between commercialism and art

A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press) by Ann S. Epstein

Learn History Through Fiction: Hubble First to Use Hale’s Humongous Telescope

In June 1948, the Palomar Observatory opened in San Diego. Construction of the 200-inch mirror for the Hale Telescope, named for its inventor George Ellery Hale, had begun in 1934. Edwin Powell Hubble, who in 1929 discovered that clouds of light in the night sky were from galaxies beyond the Milky Way, was the first astronomer to use the telescope. It remained the largest in the world until 1975, when the Russians built a bigger one. Discover more San Diego history in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).

The Hale Telescope’s 200-inch mirror at Palomar Observatory in San Diego took 14 years to build

Astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble discovered light from galaxies beyond the Milky Way

Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press) by Ann S. Epstein

Learn History Through Fiction: Wizard of Oz Premieres in … Wisconsin?

The Wizard of Oz was previewed in Kenosha and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin 80 years ago today, on August 12, 1939. MGM wanted to test how popular the movie, which begins and ends in Kansas, would be in the Midwest, and see whether its nearly $3 million investment in Technicolor would pay off. Recalls a 91-year-old woman who saw the premier as a preteen, “It was very impressive because we had never seen a color film before.” The Hollywood premiere was on August 15 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. The New York City premiere was held at Loew’s Capitol Theatre on August 17, followed by a live performance with Judy Garland and her co-stars. The film opened nationwide on August 25, 1939, its official release date. Read more about the making of The Wizard of Oz and its “big” and “little” stars in A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (see NOVELS).

MGM premiered The Wizard of Oz in Wisconsin to test its popularity in the Midwest

What I’m Reading: kaddish.com by Nathan Englander

My Amazon and Goodreads review of kaddish.com (Rating 5) – Can One Shlemiel Repay the Debts of Thousands? It is said that converts and returnees are the most zealous religious practitioners. If this tenet is true, then Shuli, an erstwhile relapsed Orthodox Jew, is one such fanatic. In the novel kaddish.com, Nathan Englander poses the general question of how we repay a debt to the dead and, more specifically, whether one shlemiel can repay the debts of thousands. A shrewish sister notwithstanding, he is helped by the good people in his community: bright boychiks, wise rabbis, and an understanding wife. Englander is a brilliant and original writer, who plots his book carefully, if sometimes preposterously. Nu, just relax and go along. Even if the Orthodox rituals and Talmudic explications are murky, they are never confusing enough to obscure the book’s intent. Like Shuli’s late father, rebellious pupil, sainted wife, and presumably Hashem, him/her/itself, you want the man to succeed. I have some quibbles — Englander’s cardboard women; a testosterone-fueled scene that evades a difficult but essential cry for insight with an easy and unfulfilling orgasm — but these drawbacks are not sufficient to lower my estimation of the book. Fasten your kippot to your skull and proceed on faith. You won’t be disappointed.

Brilliant, original, and preposterous writer Nathan Englander

“Read everything … like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master.” – William Faulkner)

Learn History Through Fiction: Labor Reform After Tragic Triangle Waist Company Fire

The 1911 Triangle Waist Company fire, which killed 146 workers, most of them immigrant women, led to major labor legislation. NYC’s Tammany Hall passed 60 of 64 laws recommended by the Factory Investigating Commission, created in response to the tragedy. The International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) fought for better sweatshop conditions, including a 54-hour work week, and the American Society of Safety Engineers was founded seven months later. Read more about the fire and the U.S. labor movement 100 years ago in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).

Public outcry after the 1911 Triangle Waist Company fire led to major labor reforms

Learn History Through Fiction: Earlier Last Call in Wartime

At the beginning of WWI, under the 1914 “Defence of the Realm Act,” British pub hours were limited to 12-2:30 PM and 6:30-9:30 PM, so factory workers wouldn’t show up drunk after lunch or the next morning. These hours, widely disregarded outside London, were finally relaxed nationwide in the 1960s and 1970s. In the WWII era, pubs were gathering places for trade unions and sympathizers (albeit wary of communist influence). Many had football teams who played the regulars from other pubs at Sunday matches. Read more about old London in A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (see NOVELS).

In WWI & WWII, Britain restricted pub hours to keep factory workers sober

Learn History Through Fiction: Old Mafia Lingo

The Mafia, a.k.a. the Mob, is rich in slang. Some examples: action (illicit profits); associate (someone who works for the Mafia but is not a “family member” or on the books); break (discipline someone by a demotion in rank); crumb (legitimate working man); going to the mattress (warring with a rival gang); goomah (mistress); goomba (term of affection & respect); vig or vigorish (% of a bet retained as income by the bookmaker). Read more about how the Mafia infiltrated Las Vegas with loot and lingo 100 years ago in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).