Abstract:
Divided into two sections, this book consists of everyday personal experiences recorded in letters (written by the author to his parents at different periods), personal “narratives” (conceived almost as short stories), and a long “poem-like” piece. The letters briefly describe his experiences as a Naval Reservist in Florida (i.e., service in the “mothball fleet”), as a struggling art student in NY, as an antipoverty “foot-solder,” and as a vacationer in Europe. Although autobiographical, the book is not meant to be a complete history of the author’s life. It is, as the foreword suggests, simply a compilation of old writings.