It depends on what one is interested in when speaking of this and why one is interested in it. Many may have purely salacious interests, or are simply be interested in base gossip, which is the antithesis of Purdy’s whole ethos. If Purdy resisted biographies until his death, and if most if not nearly all of his generation have perished, its doubtful we’ll learn much of his personal life that isn’t already in the letters which have been in archives for decades. When asked if he was gay in an interview, Purdy said there was no such thing, which is not a denial of an erotic ethos, but a refusal to capitulate to a simplistic mode of identity. One sees this again and again in his work as well. It may for many be a quick and seemingly secure way of solidifying an identity, but if I’ve learned anything from Purdy, one of the things is that that is purely an illusion – there is no secure identity.

To reflect further on Paul’s comment, If we limit our understanding or view of any artist to America alone, our comprehension of that figure will be sorely limited, especially someone like Purdy, who was so well received in Europe. The status of a writer certainly shouldn’t be based on books being in print. If we take that as a barometer of value, then Stephen King trumps most. This would be a purely capitalistic way of assessing value or artistic merit and it is to negate the power and value of the few. If Purdy is receiving accolades from Bowles, Vidal, Williams, Parker, Rorem, etc., what greater sign of merit is there? As Paul said though, the Times obit can act as a catalyst for generating further interest in Purdy and that’s vital.

Numerous books of his have remained in print in English, including Malcolm, Eustace Chisholm, In a Shallow Grave, Narrow Rooms, The Candles of Your Eyes, Garments the Living Wear, and Out with the Stars. In the last decade, there were new publications such as Gertrude of Stony Island Ave and his last collection, Moe’s Villa and Other Stories, which was first published in England and then here in America by the same publisher that reprinted Jeremy’s Version, The House of the Solitary Maggot, Narrow Rooms, Eustace, etc. Purdy mind you has also been translated into over 30 different languages and is well known and respected in Europe where literature is less under the dominion of the NY Times bestseller list. Thus, while he may not have been a counter-culture icon, he is far from a has been author and is actually more prolific than most writers from his generation.

His personal life should be of little interest; it is his work that is part of our heritage and Purdy always said in interviews that he wasn’t interested in biography, that his life was in his work. At least the obituary was respectful. Considering Purdy’s disdain for the literary establishment and the media, that’s a boon. A new generation of readers needs to encounter his work as in recent decades it has certainly been neglected here in America.