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Dear Stinkpot: Letters From Louise Brooks
LOUISE BROOKS and Jan Wahl had a special, roller-coaster relationship lasting twenty-odd years. He met the legendary star when he was a student; it turned out each of them hoped to be a writer. This intense friendship continued by letter and in person. The letters from Louise reveal much of her inner personality - her insights and anecdotes make fascinating, compelling reading.
- GenresNonfictionBiography
244 pages, Paperback
First published October 21, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 5, 2013
As a long-time fan of Louise's writing and movies, I am always glad to get the chance to read more of her work. This book will appeal to any of her fans out there. The letters Jan includes end in 1978, LULU IN HOLLYWOOD was published in 1982, and Louise didn't die until 1985. I wanted him to clarify if their friendship and letters ended around 1978, or if it continued through the publication of her book and to her death.
June 26, 2017
PLEASE NOTE: My rating is based entirely on the Reader having completed either research or some other book about Louise Brooks (particularly the one by Barry Paris). I cannot recommend this book to the casual Reader or to the one just beginning an introduction to Louise Brooks. That would be an extended frustration for the non-initiated who will constantly be wondering, “Why should I care what she thought about (fill in the topic here)?”
For the Louise Brooks-phile, this is manna from creative Heaven. So much of her behavior, so many of her mood swings, so many of her seemingly irrational opinions, so much of the self-degradation of her work, and so much of her irascibility is explained in these letters! She didn’t set out to write a justification of herself. What we have is her thought process (occasionally gin enhanced) set down on paper with commentary by the recipient highlighting his special knowledge. These letters don’t answer every question. With occasional lapses, Louise Brooks didn’t intentionally engage in gossip, so there are still plenty of intriguing points that I would love to see exposed to the light of day. Until that time, though, there are a number of Brooks myths that are finally settled and there are a number of gaps in her life story that are now addressed … by the subject herself!
Although I mentioned that I would advise against this being an introduction to her life and career, it is a book that I wish I had read much earlier in my research. It would have been great having this background before reading the many “What an impossible woman!” comments from those who had limited encounters with her. I wrote in a review of another book about her that I imagined she would have driven me crazy. I no longer think that. Her insights (even the gin-fueled ones) would have fascinated me although I’m certain they would have needed to be taken in small doses. The rarified Brooks air must have been heady stuff, indeed. Several of her remarks caused me to reconsider my perspective of different aspects of life in general.
The writer penned another book in which it is reported that she was prominently featured, THROUGH A LENS DARKLY. I’ve ordered a copy and hope to have the pleasure of reading it in the near future.
For the Louise Brooks-phile, this is manna from creative Heaven. So much of her behavior, so many of her mood swings, so many of her seemingly irrational opinions, so much of the self-degradation of her work, and so much of her irascibility is explained in these letters! She didn’t set out to write a justification of herself. What we have is her thought process (occasionally gin enhanced) set down on paper with commentary by the recipient highlighting his special knowledge. These letters don’t answer every question. With occasional lapses, Louise Brooks didn’t intentionally engage in gossip, so there are still plenty of intriguing points that I would love to see exposed to the light of day. Until that time, though, there are a number of Brooks myths that are finally settled and there are a number of gaps in her life story that are now addressed … by the subject herself!
Although I mentioned that I would advise against this being an introduction to her life and career, it is a book that I wish I had read much earlier in my research. It would have been great having this background before reading the many “What an impossible woman!” comments from those who had limited encounters with her. I wrote in a review of another book about her that I imagined she would have driven me crazy. I no longer think that. Her insights (even the gin-fueled ones) would have fascinated me although I’m certain they would have needed to be taken in small doses. The rarified Brooks air must have been heady stuff, indeed. Several of her remarks caused me to reconsider my perspective of different aspects of life in general.
The writer penned another book in which it is reported that she was prominently featured, THROUGH A LENS DARKLY. I’ve ordered a copy and hope to have the pleasure of reading it in the near future.
November 14, 2021
This is an interesting book, but then again, Louise Brooks was a fascinating woman. After reading the excellent Barry Paris biography on Ms. Brooks as well as her own writings in "Lulu in Hollywood," I couldn't wait to get my hands on the letters she had written to the then aspiring writer, Jan Wahl. However, if I hadn't read the previous books, I would have been completely lost in attempting to understand many of the letters. She goes from topic to topic and person to person in an often stream of conscious fashion that is at times hard to follow. The author (Jan Wahl) follows up on each letter with an explanation, but sometimes even he gets sidetracked and is hard to follow on what he is saying. That being said, having had some knowledge of the silent star, I was able to follow a lot of it and recommend this to the serious fan only. The most powerful parts of the book is when the letters reveal the abusive relationship she had with film historian, James Card. That alone is worth the read. All-in-all, being a fan of Louise Brooks, I liked "Dear Stinkpot," but cannot recommend it to anyone that doesn't have an insight of who she was. For serious fans that are familiar with her personality, this is a good addition to your Louise Brooks library. If you are not very familiar with her but have an interest in her life, read up on her first before purchasing this book. After you have gained some knowledge, you will find "Dear Stinkpot" a very fast and interesting read.
October 3, 2024
2.5
As a big fan of Louise Brooks, the mystical silent film actress and writer of ‘Lulu In Hollywood,’ I was looking forward to reading this collection of letters she sent to children’s author Jan Wahl. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the most irritating and frustrating of reads.
You’ll find practically nothing here about the making of her films and very little about the people she worked with. There are maybe a dozen letters in which you learn something about her, but many more read like notes – rants about this, that, and the other; and as the editor states (particularly regarding the earlier letters) are clearly hammered out in gin-fuelled hazes. They weren’t meant for a mass audience and are often general ramblings about things like thermostats.
For all that, my main issue with the book is with the editor, Jan Wahl, the person to whom she wrote the letters. I can't say that I warmed to him. Much of the book is taken up by his uninteresting, unenlightening and completely humourless notes placed between her letters. Even worse, half of his notes are more about himself and his books - to the extent of including lengthy quotes from good reviews. He doesn't include anything of his own letters, which considering the often sharp Brooks tells him on a number of occasions to grow up and stop sulking maybe a good thing!
Her letters get shorter and fewer as time goes on. Wahl gives the reason that her arthritis prevented her typing and reduced her to hand writing them. I’m not so sure about this. He even tries another suggestion, that whereas he was only able to give her a copy of his latest book as a present, new friend Roddy McDowell was able to share film stories and buy her a colour TV. ‘I could not compete on his level. Time out for me.’ The last few letters are very dull affairs in which Brooks thanks Wahl for sending her a copy of his latest children's book. She feeds his ego with praise, but we’ve already read elsewhere in her letters what she really thinks – that one of these days you’ll write a proper adult book.
There is evidently much by Louise Brooks that was written for the wider audience that remains unpublished. I wish we could read these pieces, and have access to the silent ‘Prix de Beaute’ (aka ‘Miss Europe’) that has only been released in its awful dubbed version.
Even as a Brooks fan I really couldn't recommend this book. I was bored by most of what’s here because many of the letters read what they are - an older woman finding time to write to a young fan barely out of childhood. Only a few more insightful letters in the second half of the book (in which for example she expounds upon her changing attitudes to religion) prevented me from giving this only two stars. One of those letters concludes with the quote that best sums her up, ‘I don’t belong anywhere, to anyone, to anything.’ And that is how she comes across in her films. She always looks like someone out of her time - that someone has lifted her from out of the future and placed her into a 1920s movie. That’s the enigmatic magic of Louise Brooks.
As a big fan of Louise Brooks, the mystical silent film actress and writer of ‘Lulu In Hollywood,’ I was looking forward to reading this collection of letters she sent to children’s author Jan Wahl. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the most irritating and frustrating of reads.
You’ll find practically nothing here about the making of her films and very little about the people she worked with. There are maybe a dozen letters in which you learn something about her, but many more read like notes – rants about this, that, and the other; and as the editor states (particularly regarding the earlier letters) are clearly hammered out in gin-fuelled hazes. They weren’t meant for a mass audience and are often general ramblings about things like thermostats.
For all that, my main issue with the book is with the editor, Jan Wahl, the person to whom she wrote the letters. I can't say that I warmed to him. Much of the book is taken up by his uninteresting, unenlightening and completely humourless notes placed between her letters. Even worse, half of his notes are more about himself and his books - to the extent of including lengthy quotes from good reviews. He doesn't include anything of his own letters, which considering the often sharp Brooks tells him on a number of occasions to grow up and stop sulking maybe a good thing!
Her letters get shorter and fewer as time goes on. Wahl gives the reason that her arthritis prevented her typing and reduced her to hand writing them. I’m not so sure about this. He even tries another suggestion, that whereas he was only able to give her a copy of his latest book as a present, new friend Roddy McDowell was able to share film stories and buy her a colour TV. ‘I could not compete on his level. Time out for me.’ The last few letters are very dull affairs in which Brooks thanks Wahl for sending her a copy of his latest children's book. She feeds his ego with praise, but we’ve already read elsewhere in her letters what she really thinks – that one of these days you’ll write a proper adult book.
There is evidently much by Louise Brooks that was written for the wider audience that remains unpublished. I wish we could read these pieces, and have access to the silent ‘Prix de Beaute’ (aka ‘Miss Europe’) that has only been released in its awful dubbed version.
Even as a Brooks fan I really couldn't recommend this book. I was bored by most of what’s here because many of the letters read what they are - an older woman finding time to write to a young fan barely out of childhood. Only a few more insightful letters in the second half of the book (in which for example she expounds upon her changing attitudes to religion) prevented me from giving this only two stars. One of those letters concludes with the quote that best sums her up, ‘I don’t belong anywhere, to anyone, to anything.’ And that is how she comes across in her films. She always looks like someone out of her time - that someone has lifted her from out of the future and placed her into a 1920s movie. That’s the enigmatic magic of Louise Brooks.
August 7, 2021
Really enjoyed this! Louise's personality really comes through in these letters! I wish there were a book with her earlier letters though (must get to Kansas to read those in the archives).
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews