'New Letters' continues to shine

By: Michelle Heiman

Posted: 3/31/08

Another outstanding sample of modern writing and art, the latest issue of New Letters did not disappoint.

From an extraordinary fiction piece that included multiple characters' points of view, to words against torture from the founder of Copenhagen's Rehabilitation Center and Council for Torture Victims, this issue was engrossing on every page.

Dr. Inge Genefke, the aforementioned Rehabilitation founder, provides insights into a world of torture and manipulation that most of us ignore and cringe to hear about. Her words bring to the surface the psychological and control issues behind it all, and I was hanging on every one of those words.

Robert Olen Butler has six interconnected stories of couples in this issue. The stories consist of two streams of consciousness: one from each of the two people involved. One story has Adolf Hitler at age 46 with a 22-year-old journalist named Inga. The next has Inga at age 28 with a 24-year-old John F. Kennedy.

Butler even includes himself in the last of the six stories. He is a 62-year-old writer and Vietnam veteran, and the girl (Miss X) is a 36-year-old desk clerk and the daughter of a now-deceased North Vietnamese soldier.

The way Butler wrote these stories, as simply as the thoughts of the characters, was new to me, and it is phenomenal. It was almost like reading someone's diary with his or her private inner thoughts inside.

My favorite piece from this issue was "The Flood" by Anne-E. Wood. Told from the view of a man in bed with a woman, the story starts with the woman detailing the happenings of her dreams.

Multiple times, she accuses him of not listening, but she still continues with her explanations. All the while, readers see the man's thoughts: "Quietly I listened," "I have a painful erection despite the dullness of this conversation" and "I found a cigarette on the nightstand."

As her dream talk continues, so do his thoughts, which turn to the rain outside. He imagines a flood and rafts made of furniture. Then he thinks about watching her drown. As she drifts off to sleep, apparently content with explaining for the night, he whispers, "You'll be food for sharks." Although he knows the answer, he then asks, "Do you hear me?"

The irony involved in this story captivated me. The relationship between the characters as male and female is also true to life, which makes the story all the more intriguing.

Overall, my take on this issue closely resembles some phrases found in the Editor's Note.

"We don't mind contradicting ourselves," Robert Stewart said. "…[The magazine] takes on some big topics and tries to keep its sense of humor and openness." While I agree that human torture is a big topic, I would also agree David Ray's "Class Reunion" has just the right amount of humor. My sole regret regarding this issue of New Letters is that there are no more pages left to cover.

mheiman@unews.com