Hero Continues

by Donald Windham

From the first-edition dust not be put off by the bad-tempered failure, destructive and foolishly proud, whom you meet in the opening pages of this novel. For he is the hero, and in the success that follows he becomes a figure of heroic stature. A sudden giant chance lights up his name on Broadway, he grows rich and pampered, and he is faced with the corrupting influence of success.Do not be put off by this apparently hackneyed theme. Mr Windham is an unpredictable author, full of surprises, and his detail us always precise, unusual and stimulating. His angle of view is original and enables us to watch at close quarters, with an intensity rare in fiction and as vivid as film, the progress of the hero's fight to retain sanity and balance in the unreal world to which success makes him heir.Do not be put off by these words. They are true to an author who is always true to himself, faithful in his representation of the cruel and faithless world of his choice, and lively in his portrayal of the crazy half-dead characters who people it. The effect, gained by great purity of style, is singularly moving.From Donald A Bio-Bibliography, by Bruce "This narrative, loosely based on the career of Tennessee Williams and including some incidents from their early friendship, is a disturbing study of the thin line between integrity and disintegration. The ironically named "human" Denis Freeman becomes the "hero" Denis, private man becoming public icon. In the process he loses his ability for love and friendship, paralleled through physical losses -- an eye, and arm, finally the onset of impotence simultaneously physical and psychosomatic. The distinction between human and hero is clearly one cannot be both; for the hero to continue as a writer, he must of necessity divest himself of much of what makes him human..."

Hardcover

First published May 1, 1960

About the author

His obituary-of-record here has a good summary of his personal and creative life.

Reviews

[Alex Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written as a roman a clef about and dedicated to his dear friend (possibly more?) Tennessee Williams, this book meanders through the seasons of a playwright's career as he climbs New York's social ladder and loses himself along the way. All of Donald Windham's work is deeply personal, but I found myself feeling like I was eavesdropping on his relationships and personal situations. The book is not as exciting or well-plotted as his debut, The Dogstar, nor is it as sentimental as his best known work, Two People, but as a fan of the New York writer scene in the 50's, I'm glad to have this unique perspective from someone who lived it

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a deeply personal book. Donald Windham is a concise writer, and one of great feeling. The protagonist's passage through life is poignantly observed. One can feel sympathy for his behavior, although it is sometimes destructive and cruel.