Drawing from Life

by Oppenheimer, Joel; Bertholf, Robert J.; Landrey, David W.; Landrey, David W.

• ISBN13: 9781559211970
• ISBN10: 1559211970
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-09-01
• Publisher: Moyer Bell Ltd

Summary

Alternately philosopher, sports commentator, sociologist, and political pundit, Oppenheimer was a writer whose work was infused with a jubilation for life in all its diversity. In the sixteen years he was a columnist for The Village Voice he painted a portrait of an era that was profoundly affecting a generation of young people and that ultimately changed the country. Underlying all of Oppenheimer's thinking and writing was a clear moral vision - rooted in the need to live an informed and caring existence - whether he was writing about parenting, life in Greenwich Village, or the cycle of the seasons. Joel wrote "Oppenheimer's Kvetch" from 1969-1984. His work as a columnist was not driven by the editorial vision of the Voice editors; he was afforded the independence to determine his own subject and the freedom to express his own views.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Charles Olson: 1910-1970	1	(3)
no, i can't stay away from opening day	4	(3)
hanukkah guilt: the best of one world twice	7	(3)
mr gruen got sad when famous people acted human	10	(3)
heavy hitters, hard throwers, & amurricans	13	(3)
agnes, antoine, etc. : come again another day	16	(3)
i like men who fool around within their framework	19	(3)
the `72 olympics: switching back to real life	22	(4)
what kind of toy do they make in hanoi?	26	(3)
dancing down the line: jackie robinson 1919-72	29	(3)
by the dawn's early light: burrowing in again	32	(3)
a little touch of harry s. in the night	35	(3)
and to the democrat for whom it stands	38	(3)
checkers all over again: we will not be saved	41	(3)
into the heartlands: no one will march	44	(3)
let's put the holy day back in holiday	47	(3)
fair play: getting in the spirit	50	(3)
the little american: the era of john j. wilson	53	(3)
dog-day madness: our synapses one scrambled	56	(3)
losses	59	(3)
piece with honor: on the language of sex	62	(3)
silver linings for our times	65	(4)
any wednesday	69	(2)
the all stars	71	(3)
language & sexism in today's world: a code of honor	74	(3)
meanwhile, down in the gap: sports, children and philosophy	77	(3)
master of deceit & other sports news	80	(3)
new old lifestyles	83	(3)
rich man, poor man	86	(2)
in the dark month	88	(3)
the free market	91	(3)
waltz us around again, jerry	94	(3)
the question of victory	97	(3)
simple pleasures	100	(3)
guile 1, rape 0; england: no yes?	103	(3)
this series was top-10 stuff	106	(3)
let's say farewell to endless summer	109	(3)
how to lose a school system	112	(4)
franco is dead, viva la muerte	116	(3)
stuff it	119	(3)
does it change? can it hurt?	122	(3)
angry at the hall of fame	125	(3)
the tin ear listens	128	(3)
ageism comes home	131	(3)
poet digs out	134	(3)
the plot thickens	137	(3)
get ready and fall	140	(3)
a is for anker, b is for banker	143	(3)
to tip a cap	146	(3)
Stop the Presses	149	(3)
This Little Phobia Went to Market	152	(3)
Good-bye to Big John	155	(3)
Checks and Balances	158	(3)
Mix and Mask	161	(3)
Whither Billiards?	164	(3)
Counting the Measure	167	(3)
Who's Counting	170	(3)
Running True to Form	173	(3)
This Is Your Country	176	(3)
Teng and Death	179	(3)
To Sweep, Perchance to Dream	182	(3)
No Runes, No Wits, No Airers	185	(3)
A Thousand Flowers	188	(3)
Other Places	191	(4)
Shifting Gears	195	(3)
Once More with Ceiling	198	(3)
Careless Love	201	(3)
Rites of Passage	204	(3)
Wring Out the Old	207	(3)
In the Gold Old Summertime	210	(3)
Fate of Grace	213	(3)
Points	216	(3)
Keep Your Bags Packed	219	(3)
Thieves Like Us	222	(3)
The Lourdes of Baseball	225	(3)
Mobility	228	(3)
The Descent	231	(3)
Moves	234	(4)
Leading the Union	238	(4)
Little Wars	242	(3)
The State of the Rest	245	(3)
The Operative Phrase	248	(4)
Phobophilia	252	(3)
Good News Tonight	255	(4)
Semper Illegitimati	259	(3)
Friends	262	(3)
Colding Up	265	(4)
Peace in Our Time	269	(4)
Breakfast Reading	273	(3)
The Long View	276	(3)
Selling the Gold	279	(4)
Dogged Days	283	(4)
Postscript	287	(1)
Bibliography	288