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Ernest Vincent Wright (1872October 7, 1939) was an American author known for his book '' Gadsby'', a 50,000-word novel which, except for the introduction and a note at the end, did not use the letter "e".
The biographical details of his life are unclear. A 2002 article in the ''Village Voice'' by
February 24, 2007. Wright completed a draft of ''Gadsby'' in 1936, during a nearly six-month stint at the National Military Home in California. He failed to find a publisher and used a
''The Railroad trainman''
', Volume 23, p. 991.
Biography
The biographical details of his life are unclear. A 2002 article in the ''Village Voice'' by Ed Park
Ed Park (born 1970 in Buffalo, New York) is an American journalist and novelist. He was the executive editor of Penguin Press.
Career
Park was a founding editor of the magazine '' The Believer'' in 2003, and has been an editor at the Poetry Found ...
said he might have been English by birth but was more probably American. The article said he might have served in the navy and that he has been incorrectly called a graduate of MIT. The article says that he attended a vocational high school attached to MIT in 1888 but there is no record that he graduated. Park said rumors that Wright died within hours of ''Gadsby'' being published are untrue.
In October 1930 Wright approached the ''Evening Independent'' newspaper and proposed it sponsor a blue lipogram
A lipogram (from grc, λειπογράμματος, ''leipográmmatos'', "leaving out a letter") is a kind of constrained writing or word game consisting of writing paragraphs or longer works in which a particular letter or group of letters is a ...
writing competition, with $250 for the winner. In the letter, he boasted of the quality of ''Gadsby''. The newspaper declined his offer.
A 2007 post on the ''Bookride'' blog about rare books says Wright spent five and a half months writing ''Gadsby'' on a typewriter with the "e" key tied down. According to the unsigned entry at Bookride, a warehouse holding copies of ''Gadsby'' burned down shortly after the book was printed, destroying "most copies of the ill-fated novel." The blog post says the book was never reviewed "and only kept alive by the efforts of a few avant-garde French intellos and assorted connoisseurs of the odd, weird and zany." The book's scarcity and oddness has seen copies priced at $4,000 by book dealers. ''Bookride'' blogFebruary 24, 2007. Wright completed a draft of ''Gadsby'' in 1936, during a nearly six-month stint at the National Military Home in California. He failed to find a publisher and used a
self-publishing press
Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pri ...
to bring out the book.
Wright previously authored three other books: ''The Wonderful Fairies of the Sun'' (1896), ''The Fairies That Run the World and How They Do It'' (1903), and ''Thoughts and Reveries of an American Bluejacket'' (1918). His humorous poem, "When Father Carves the Duck", can be found in some anthologies.Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen
The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT) was a labor organization for railroad employees founded in 1883. Originally called the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen, its purpose was to negotiate contracts with railroad management and to provide in ...
. ''The Railroad trainman''
', Volume 23, p. 991.
Further reading
* . * .References
External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Vincent Ernest 1872 births 1939 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists American male novelists