Writers & Prostitutes...

Larry L King's opening salvo in his anthology, 'The Old Man And Lesser Mortals'

Here, just for fun is the introduction to an old-ish book (published back in 1974), long out of print but one of those transformational tomes that tore open vast new rooms of possibility, showing this young reader bodacious new ways stories might be told, carving images from words in ways unlike any I’d experienced to that point. The author was Larry L. King. Not the television, talking head, Larry King. Different Larry. Less famous. Better stories.

One reviewer described ‘Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,’ author, Larry L. King as a combination of Hunter S. Thompson and Texas singer/satirist, Kinky Friedman. I can’t disagree. And yet Mr. King’s tender description of his aging father in the title essay of this anthology left me choking back tears. Jagged edges. Big heart. Texas big.

Truth is, I initially bought the book for this one piece. It cost me a dollar, which seemed like a helluva deal, even back then. So everything beyond that intro was pure gravy. So much enchanted gravy between those covers, stories originally published in Harpers, Texas Monthly and elsewhere, then rescued from the bargain bin in the Walla Walla, Washington K-mart around 1978. I had flipped open the cover and begun reading the introduction while standing there on aisle three between ‘Blue Light Special’ announcements over the loud speaker. King’s opening sentence, (“Writers and prostitutes grow accustomed to being asked why they do the things they do.”), a delightful, barbed hook, tore into my flesh and wouldn’t let me go. I’ve been chuckling over it, quoting it and yes, reciting it, ever since. Forty-five years; hook’s still sharp.

Some may be offended. Sensibilities have changed wildly since the mid-seventies, and needed to. But the work of writing, maybe not so much.

Could be a few of you will find a bit of gold in there, too. Reason enough.