The Bookish 1980s

Of literary obsessions and the New York City of dreams

Is the Summer of 2024 the summer of revisiting the various Brat Packs? Andrew McCarthy’s new documentary looks at the Brat Pack actors, and I’m going to revisit their literary counterparts.

I recently read the lovely Dear Edna Sloane (Amazon affiliate link), by Amy Shearn, about a fictional literary Brat Pack darling who disappeared from public life, which in turn generated a lot of legends about what happened to her. The story seemed inspired by the life of Tama Janowitz, who went from best-selling literary star and New York nightlife regular to a much quieter life.

And that, in turn, inspired me to finally read Janowitz’s best-known book, Slaves of New York (Amazon affiliate link). I’m not sure why I never read it before. Maybe envy? It’s a series of short stories about the early 1980s art scene in New York City, believed to be drawn from Janowitz’s own life with artist Ronnie Cutrone. Not all of it has aged well. The title comes from the notion that too many people in New York make compromises to afford to live there, with women especially living with people who aren’t good for them so that they have a place to stay.

In college, many of my classmates were obsessed with Bret Easton Ellis and Jay McInerny. We read Bright Lights, Big City (Amazon affiliate link) and Less Than Zero (Amazon affiliate link) during reading week. Fiction Workshop became a popular elective. Meanwhile, at Bennington College (a podcast that may be the closest counterpart to the Brats documentary), Bret Easton Ellis, Donna Tartt, and Jonathan Letham were living the literary life. It was a heady time for aspiring writers. I got a New Yorker subscription with graduation money from my uncle (a writer of the newspaper persuasion), and I have renewed it every year since.

And, of course, on my first visit to New York City, I went to the Limelight and bought a sweatshirt at Fiorucci, as one did back then.

There are few other books that seem to inspire the same following as Bright Lights, Big City and Less Than Zero did; A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Amazon affiliate link) and Crying in H Mart come to mind. I’d love your suggestions of others.