Book Brawl
Salt Lake Librarians Diss Mark Spragg
By Jenny Shank, 4-03-07
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Whether or not community reading programs actually spur people to read, there’s one thing to be said for them: They certainly get people riled up over books. On Friday, Lucinda Dillon Kinkead at the DesertNews brought to light an intra-Rocky Mountain West book brouhaha. In one corner is Wyoming author Mark Spragg, whose 2004 novel An Unfinished Life was selected in January for Salt Lake County’s “One County, One Book” reading program. In the other corner are the Salt Lake County librarians who recently unceremoniously de-selected Spragg’s book and dis-invited him from the October event that was to be held in his honor. The only explanation Kinkead’s sources offered her was that “at least one local librarian found rough language in the book objectionable.”
The literary blog GalleyCat notes, “Spragg says - and sources close to the details privately confirm - there was scrutiny from library system officials about rough scenes in the book involving a character named Roy, who is a violent person, a batterer and uses obscene language.”
It gets uglier: Kinkead writes, “One bookseller with contacts in the publishing business said a New York literary agent told her Salt Lake City is the ‘laughing stock’ of the publishing world.” I can just picture a group of literary types snickering over cocktails in Manhattan: “I can’t believe she published that book. It’s so Salt Lake.”
I read An Unfinished Life a few years ago, and I have no memory of any particularly rough language or shocking violence. I think long-term memory of such things is as good measurement as any of the scenes’ intensity (After many years, for example, I still remember certain racy passages in Gravity’s Rainbow and The Naked Lunch). It’s the same thing with Kent Haruf’s wonderful Plainsong--whenever it gets shot down for a community reading program because of a sex scene (which I also can’t remember), I think wha?
Am I the only one who thinks representatives from Utah and Wyoming should arm wrestle this out?
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Comments
Also, what happened to Allen? Regardless welcome to the book beat Jenny (unless I am missing something in which case disregard this ramble). I look forward to your contributions. The west as a region, homeland, and state of mind is producing some of the best fiction and non-fiction in the world. Hopefully, your work here will reflect that reality and expose us to both the known and unknown storytellers of our land including, perhaps, one Ms. Jenny Shank.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Allen is still writing for us -- just not full time as the Books and Writers editor anymore.
So, watch for some of his writing on these pages from time to time, but yes, do meet Jenny, our new Books and Writers editor.
Places, like Boise, are the cities that offer a wonderful community and local western culture that even a Texan feels at home in.
Finally, thank you for writing this piece...I am now going to find a nice synopsis of the book and consider purchasing.
The Salt Lake City library system is one of the most progressive in the west; hosting the largest independent "zine" collection this side of Portland and we all know what kind of language can be found in those (not to mention grammar - hee!).
The County librarians who gave Spragg the bait and switch should be ashamed of themselves - but, let's be clear that not all of Salt Lake is filled with Miss Primms and Patty Prudes.
Tracy Medley
Perhaps we are taking the wrong approach in labeling books and movies as to whether they are offensive. Perhaps we ought to be applying exams and certifications to readers, such as, "Too immature for advanced books," "Too attached to convention to read about others," and then at the high end, "Capable of reading with intelligence and insight."
What hurts is that this nastiness was done to Spragg, a quietly generous and conservative man, by librarians who will probably be excoriated by their peers for this.
Prairie Mary