Max Perkins: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg

Abstract

Reviewed by: Max Perkins: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg Wayne Catan Max Perkins: Editor of Genius. By A. Scott Berg. New York: New American Library, 2016. 498 pp. Paper $18.00. This is one of the finest works about the publishing industry. In fact, it stands alone at the top of the mountain in this category for a number of reasons, including A. Scott Berg's passion for the subject matter, his brilliant reportage skills, and the fact that he had access to primary sources, original author letters, and the Malcolm Cowley article about Perkins—"Unshaken Friend"—that appeared in The New Yorker. To buttress my assertion, Max Perkins: Editor of Genius won the 1980 National Book Award when Berg was only thirty-one years old. The book swells with facts and anecdotes about how Maxwell Evarts Perkins navigated the roadways and roadblocks of the New York City publishing world in the early 1900s. However, at times, Berg's book is a tedious read. The prose can be one hundred percent historically driven, but he purposely wrote his 498-page biography in this manner to display how difficult it was for Perkins to manage writers, to handle the media, and wrestle with the brass at Charles Scribner's Sons. Berg adroitly illustrates the fact that Perkins's post as an editor was one-tenth of his job: he was a talent scout, recruiter, mentor, best friend, money loaner, psychologist, and uncle. His authors adored him. F. Scott Fitzgerald called Perkins, "[his] most loyal and confident encourager and friend" (154), showing his trust and love for Perkins. Thomas Wolfe, who cherished Perkins, shows his encomium: "In all my life, until I met you, I never had a friend" (253). And although it was extremely difficult for Hemingway to reveal his feelings, "he wanted to assure Perkins that he thought just as much of him as Tom Wolfe ever did—'even if I can't put it so well'" (366). [End Page 138] Berg studiously writes about the Hemingway-Perkins relationship. According to Berg, Perkins, a former The New York Times reporter, who donned a signature fedora, was infatuated with Hemingway's writing: "Hemingway's writing had a distinctive sound, the likes of which Perkins had never heard: hard-hammered words that reverberated long after the short, staccato sentences had been read" (87). Furthermore, Berg recalls the story of Fitzgerald recommending Hemingway to Perkins: "He has a brilliant future … he's the real thing" (63). In today's publishing world, Fitzgerald would earn a commission for his endorsement. Berg masterfully reports on Max accepting The Torrents of the Spring and publishing the unseen novel—The Sun Also Rises, the Scribner's—Perkins imbroglio over the use of Hemingway's curse words in Sun and A Farewell to Arms, and how Owen Wister (author of The Virginian) lamented over Hemingway's use of curse words. Berg also provides an accurate report on the famous Max Eastman-Hemingway wrestling match, stemming from Eastman's negative review of Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon. Throughout the book, Berg writes about the Hemingway-Perkins editor-writer relationship for For Whom the Bell Tolls, To Have and Have Not, Green Hills of Africa, and he provides a humorous report about Perkins lacking the guts to write curse words: "What would Hemingway think of you if he heard that you couldn't even write that word?" (142), Mr. Scribner queried. Fitzgerald scholars will be particularly interested in the sections that highlight him. Scott was extremely important to Max, who made his mark by releasing This Side of Paradise (working title The Romantic Egotist). Berg's research highlights their introduction, which was through Scribner's author Shane Leslie. Berg also showcases the confrontation between Perkins and the Scribner's brass when the publisher wanted to pass on Fitzgerald: "If we're going to turn down the likes of Fitzgerald, I will lose all interest in publishing books" (16). Thus, This Side of Paradise was born. After This Side of Paradise, Berg takes the reader on a Fitzgerald express train that stopped in a New York Café for the release of The Beautiful and Damned, Long Island for...