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Graham and Wasserstein

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from: Wendy Wasserstein

Make Women Count--Vote

Posted Tuesday, Nov. 3, 1998, at 8:33 PM ET

Dear Stephen,

I just came back from voting. You can believe what you read in the papers; it wasn't very crowded. Mostly senior citizens, a few mothers & children. I'd say it was overwhelmingly female, which could either mean that in my neighborhood men still dominate the 9-to-5 work force or the full page ads in the New York Times that said "Make Women Count--Vote" worked. A small aside, but a pertinent one--standing next to me in line was the playwright David Henry Hwang, author of M. Butterfly among others. I am saying this of course to name drop & demonstrate my wide range of acquaintances but also to say that playwrights make for responsible citizens--hence the wise choice of Mr. Havel.

Riding in a taxicab to my polling place, I overheard on the radio that John Glenn has been the number one subject of political cartoons in the country today. Apparently one, I believe in the Dayton papers, was of a father saying, "John Glenn proves there are still American heroes." The son says, "Dad, what are heroes?"

Which leads me to Tish Durkin's piece in the November 2nd New York Observer. One more playwrighting name-drop. Her senior year of high school Miss Durkin won the young playwrights festival, and I was her dramature. She was highly intelligent as is proven by her wildly perceptive decision to leave drama, not because of any lack of skill, and emerge as a political reporter for the Observer. Her piece on D'Amato's fatal flaw of calling Schumer a Yiddish expletive, which I won't repeat here, was just excellent. Here the question of heroism collapses. Or, as Durkin says, would everything have been alright if he had only called Schumer a "Nit-Wit."

Which brings me back to Sally Hemmings, Jefferson, and John Glenn. I loved what you said about negative capability. Good for you! Good for Keats! John Glenn may be an American hero, but I believe he was also instrumental in keeping women out of the space program. Yes Jefferson was a great President, but in the midst of his Lockeran enlightenment he found the ability to keep slaves. I found Gordon Reed's thesis that historians were simply unwilling to believe this of the great founding father, quite, pardon the word, legitimate. But Stephen, at least the issues here are far more worth grappling with than whether D'Amato did or didn't call his opponent something we weren't allowed to in the second grade at the Yeshiva. The "there it is" as you call it of Jefferson defines the complications, truly fatal, of a man and a history. I find what we have now from Monica to Al's schoolyard names of very little weight or future resonance.

Finally, I agree with you that the Jewish Book Council seems to be acting irresponsibly by adopting " a no-comment" policy about the fraudulent memoir. But what interests me now is why the author insisted it wasn't fiction. Does he believe that it isn't? It does sound like a moving, well-written work. Maybe in his mind the fact and fiction merged.

I am heading up to Hanover tonight. I'm getting started on the presidential primaries. I will write from there tomorrow a.m.

One last thing. Stephen, do you feel that Sagaponack should extract itself from the town of Southampton? I'm torn.

XXXXXX Wendy

the breakfast table
entries
1234567891011121314151617181920
from: Wendy Wasserstein

Make Women Count--Vote

Posted Tuesday, Nov. 3, 1998, at 8:33 PM ET
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Stephen Graham lives in New York City, where he is pursuing a doctorate in English literature. He is co-publisher of Ecco Press and a contributing editor at Grand Street. Wendy Wasserstein, a playwright, is author of An American Daughter, The Heidi Chronicles, The Sisters Rosensweig, and others.
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