Hubert Selby, Jr.
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Hubert "Cubby" Selby Jr. (July 23, 1928 – April 26, 2004) was an American writer. Two of his novels, '' Last Exit to Brooklyn'' (1964) and '' Requiem for a Dream'' (1978) explore worlds in the New York area and were adapted as films, both of which he appeared in. His first novel was prosecuted for obscenity in the United Kingdom and banned in Italy, prompting defences from many leading authors such as Anthony Burgess. He influenced multiple generations of writers. For more than 20 years, he taught creative writing at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he lived full-time after 1983.


Biography


Early life and education

Hubert Selby was born in 1928 in Brooklyn, New York City, to Adalin and Hubert Selby Sr., a merchant seaman and former coal miner from Kentucky. Selby and his wife Adalin had settled in Bay Ridge. Hubert attended public schools, including the competitive
Stuyvesant High School Stuyvesant High School (pronounced ), commonly referred to among its students as Stuy (pronounced ), is a State school, public university-preparatory school, college-preparatory, Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school ...
. Selby Jr. dropped out of school at the age of 15 to work in the city docks before becoming a merchant seaman in 1947. Having been diagnosed with tuberculosis, he was taken off the ship in
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
, Germany, and sent back to the United States. For the next three and a half years, Selby was in and out of the U.S. Public Health Hospital (part of a system of hospitals originally established to care for merchant seamen) in New York for treatment. Selby went through an experimental drug treatment, streptomycin, that later caused some severe complications. During an operation, surgeons removed several of Selby's ribs to reach his lungs. One of his
lungs collapsed A pneumothorax is an abnormal collection of air in the pleural space between the lung and the chest wall. Symptoms typically include sudden onset of sharp, one-sided chest pain and shortness of breath. In a minority of cases, a one-way valve ...
, and doctors removed part of the other.


Becoming a writer

For the next ten years, Selby was mostly bedridden; he was frequently hospitalized with a variety of lung-related ailments. The doctors offered a bleak prognosis, suggesting he was unlikely to survive long because he "just didn't have enough lung capacity".
Gilbert Sorrentino Gilbert Sorrentino (April 27, 1929 – May 18, 2006) was an American novelist, short story writer, poet, literary critic, professor, and editor. In over twenty-five works of fiction and poetry, Sorrentino explored the comic and formal possibili ...
, a childhood friend who had become a writer, encouraged Selby to write fiction. Unable to have regular work because of his health, Selby decided, "I know the alphabet. Maybe I could be a writer." He later wrote:
I was sitting at home and had a profound experience. I experienced, in all of my Being, that someday I was going to die, and it wouldn't be like it had been happening, almost dying but somehow staying alive, but I would just die! And two things would happen right before I died: I would regret my entire life; I would want to live it over again. This terrified me. The thought that I would live my entire life, look at it and realize I blew it forced me to do something with my life.
With no formal training, Selby used a raw language to portray the bleak and violent world that was part of his youth. He said, "I write, in part, by ear. I hear, as well as feel and see, what I am writing. I have always been enamoured with the music of the speech in New York." Little concerned with proper grammar, punctuation, or diction, Selby used unorthodox techniques in most of his works. He indented his paragraphs with alternating lengths, often by simply dropping down one line when finished with a paragraph. Like
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian a ...
in his "spontaneous prose", Selby often completed his writing in a fast, stream-of-consciousness style. He replaced apostrophes with forward slashes, which were closer on the typewriter, to avoid interrupting his flow of writing. He did not use quotation marks. He might present a dialogue as a complete paragraph, with no denotation among alternating speakers. Aspects of his experiences with
longshoremen A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes. After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...
, the homeless, thugs, pimps, transwomen, prostitutes, homosexuals, addicts and the overall poverty-stricken community, is expressed in '' Last Exit to Brooklyn''.


Early works

Selby started working on his first short story, "The Queen Is Dead," in 1958. At the time, he had a succession of day jobs, but he wrote every night. During the day, he worked as a secretary, a gas station attendant, and a freelance copywriter. The short story developed slowly for the next six years before he published it. In 1961, his short story "Tralala" was published in the literary journal ''The Provincetown Review''. It also appeared in ''Black Mountain Review'' and ''New Directions''. It portrays the seedy life (ridden with violence, theft and mediocre con-artistry) and the gang rape of a
prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...
. A number of critics attacked the subjects and harshness of the story. The journal editor was arrested for selling pornographic literature to a
minor Minor may refer to: * Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities. ** A person who has not reached the age of majority * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Music theory *Minor chord ** Barb ...
. The journal was used as evidence in an
obscenity An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be use ...
trial, but the case was later dismissed on appeal. On 24 October 1964, Selby married Judith Lumino, but the marriage soon fell apart. As he continued to write, his longtime friend LeRoi Jones (later
Amiri Baraka Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticism. He was the author of numerous bo ...
), the poet and playwright, encouraged him to contact Sterling Lord, then Kerouac's agent. Selby combined "Tralala", "The Queen Is Dead" and four other loosely linked short stories as part of his first novel, ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'' (1964). The novel was accepted and published by
Grove Press Grove Press is an United States of America, American Imprint (trade name), publishing imprint that was founded in 1947. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, and Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it in ...
, which had already published works by William S. Burroughs. In November 1964, New York Times literary critic Eliot Fremont-Smith described the novel as "a brutal book," concluding that it "is not a book one 'recommends'--except perhaps to writers. From them, those who wish to read it, it deserves attention." The novel was praised by many, including the poet Allen Ginsberg, who predicted that it would "explode like a rusty hellish bombshell over America and still be eagerly read in a hundred years." In 1967, the novel was prosecuted for obscenity in the United Kingdom. The British writer Anthony Burgess was among a number of writers who appeared as witnesses in its defense. The jury's conviction was later reversed on
appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...
. The novel was
banned A ban is a formal or informal prohibition of something. Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some bans in commerce are referred to as embargoes. ''Ban'' is also used as a verb similar in meaning ...
in Italy. Although he wrote all his work while sober, Selby continued to battle drug addiction. In 1967 he was arrested for heroin possession and served two months in the Los Angeles County jail. After his release, he moved from New York to Los Angeles to try to escape his addictions and finally kicked the habit. He stayed clean of illicit drugs but continued to battle alcohol abuse for the next two years. Also that year, Selby met his future wife, Suzanne Victoria Shaw, at a bar in West Hollywood. The couple moved in together two days after they met. They married in 1969, after Selby and his second wife, Judith, had finalized their divorce. For the next decade, Suzanne and Selby traveled back and forth between their home in Southern California and the
East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...
, settling permanently in the Los Angeles area in 1983. They had two children, daughter Rachel and son William.


Life after ''Last Exit to Brooklyn''

In 1971, Selby published his second novel, '' The Room,'' which received positive reviews. It featured a criminally insane man, locked in a room in a prison, who reminisces about his disturbing past. Selby described ''The Room'' as "the most disturbing book ever written." He said he could not read it for decades after writing it. Selby continued to write
short fiction A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...
, as well as
screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...
s and teleplays at his apartment in West Hollywood. His work was published in many magazines, including '' Black Mountain Review'', ''
Evergreen Review ''The Evergreen Review'' is a U.S.-based literary magazine. Its publisher is John Oakes and its editor-in-chief is Dale Peck. The ''Evergreen Review'' was founded by Barney Rosset, publisher of Grove Press. It existed in print from 1957 until 19 ...
'', ''Provincetown Review'', ''Kulchur'', ''
New Directions Annual New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
'', ''Yugen'', ''Swank'' and ''Open City''. In the 1980s, Selby met punk rock singer Henry Rollins, who had long admired the writer's works and publicly championed them. Rollins helped broaden Selby's readership, and also arranged recording sessions and reading tours for Selby. Rollins issued original recordings through his own
2.13.61 2.13.61, Inc. is a publisher and record company founded by American musician Henry Rollins and named after his date of birth (February 13, 1961). The company has released albums by the Rollins Band, all of Rollins' spoken word work, and numero ...
publications, and distributed Selby's other works. For the last 20 years of his life, Selby also taught creative writing as an adjunct professor in the Master of Professional Writing program at the University of Southern California. A film adaptation of ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'', directed by Uli Edel, was made in 1989. Selby appeared in ''Brooklyn'' in a brief cameo as a taxi driver. '' Requiem for a Dream'' (1978) was adapted as a film of the same name released in 2000. He had a small role as a prison guard taunting
Marlon Wayans Marlon Lamont Wayans (born July 23, 1972) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Wayans began his career portraying a pedestrian in ''I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'' (1988). He went on to regularly collaborate with his brother Shawn Wa ...
, suffering through forced labor while withdrawing.


Death and legacy

Selby spent the last month of his life in and out of the hospital and died at his home in Highland Park, Los Angeles, on April 26, 2004 of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although he was in pain, he refused morphine on his deathbed. ''The New York Times'' published his obituary the day after his death. Selby was the subject of the 2005 documentary, '' Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow''


In popular culture

* In 1972, David Bowie said that two novels influenced him greatly:
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian a ...
's ''
On the Road ''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagonis ...
'' and Selby's ''Last Exit to Brooklyn''. According to an article in the New York Times published in 1973, Bowie had "confessed that he had formed a desperate identification with" the latter novel. * Selby's first work, "The Queen Is Dead" (appearing as a chapter in ''Last Exit to Brooklyn''), inspired the name of an album by Manchester alternative rock group The Smiths. * In the book ''Was This Man a Genius?'' by Julie Hecht, the comedian Andy Kaufman is quoted saying that his favourite book is ''The Demon'' by Hubert Selby (p. 159). * ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'' inspired the name of
Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...
's first band, Last Exit. * The Manic Street Preachers song, "Of Walking Abortion", from the album '' The Holy Bible'', begins with a quote from Selby: "I knew that someday I was gonna die. And I knew that before I died, two things would happen to me, that number one: I would regret my entire life; and number two: I would want to live my life over again." *British band
Alt-J Alt-J (stylised as alt-J, real name Δ) are an English indie rock band formed in 2007 in Leeds. Their lineup includes Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), Thom Sonny Green (drums), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals), and formerly Gwilym Sainsbur ...
composed a song entitled "Fitzpleasure", inspired by the short story "Tralala" from ''Last Exit to Brooklyn''. * In the
Nicolas Winding Refn Nicolas Winding Refn (; born 29 September 1970), also known as Jang, is a Danish film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for his collaborations with Mads Mikkelsen, Tom Hardy and Ryan Gosling. He gained great success early in ...
film '' Bleeder'', a character enters a book store asking for a Hubert Selby Jr. work. *
Nicolas Winding Refn Nicolas Winding Refn (; born 29 September 1970), also known as Jang, is a Danish film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for his collaborations with Mads Mikkelsen, Tom Hardy and Ryan Gosling. He gained great success early in ...
dedicated his film ''
Pusher II ''Pusher II'' (also known as ''Pusher II: With Blood on My Hands'') is a 2004 Danish crime film written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. The film is the second film in the ''Pusher'' trilogy, portraying the lives of criminals in Copenhagen ...
'' to Selby, Jr. * The block of East 10th Street between Second and Third Avenues in Manhattan (where Selby lived in 1964 with his second wife, Judith, and her son, James) is mentioned at Chapter 23 of Tom Robbins's 1976 novel, ''Even Cowgirls Get the Blues'', being described specifically as the place where "Hubert Selby, Jr., wrote ''Last Exit to Brooklyn''."


Works


Fiction

* '' Last Exit to Brooklyn'' (novel, 1964) * '' The Room'' (novel, 1971) * '' The Demon'' (novel, 1976) * '' Requiem for a Dream'' (novel, 1978) * ''
Song of the Silent Snow A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...
'' (short stories, 1986) * '' The Willow Tree'' (novel, 1998) * '' Waiting Period'' (novel, 2002)


Spoken word

* ''
Our Fathers Who Aren't in Heaven Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulato ...
'' – Compilation by Henry Rollins. 2xCD set (1990) * '' Live in Europe 1989'' – Spoken word with Henry Rollins. CD. (1995) * ''
Blue Eyes and Exit Wounds ''Blue Eyes and Exit Wounds'' is a spoken word/poetry album by Nick Tosches and Hubert Selby Jr. Hubert "Cubby" Selby Jr. (July 23, 1928 – April 26, 2004) was an American writer. Two of his novels, ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'' (1964) and ''Requ ...
'' – Spoken word with Nick Tosches. CD. (1998)


Filmography

* '' Jour et Nuit'' – Screenwriter. France /
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
(1986) * '' Last Exit to Brooklyn'' – Writer and actor. United States/Germany (1989) * ''Scotch and Milk'' – Actor (Cubby). United States (1998) * '' Requiem for a Dream'' – Screenwriter and actor. United States (2000) * '' Fear X'' – Screenwriter. Denmark / United Kingdom / Canada (2003)


Documentaries

* ''Memories, Dreams & Addictions.'' Interview with Ellen Burstyn. Special feature on ''Requiem for a Dream'' – Director's Cut DVD release. (2001) * ''Hubert Selby Jr.: 2 Ou 3 Choses...'' (A Couple of Things About Hubert Selby Jr.) by Ludovic Cantais, France (2000) * '' Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow'' (2005)


Unfinished and unpublished

At least one work-in-progress remained unfinished and unpublished at the time of Selby's death: ''The Seeds of Pain and the Seeds of Love''. Excerpts from this work are heard on the ''Live in Europe 1989'' CD.


References


External links

* *
"Interview with Hubert Selby Jr."
NPR, April 28, 2004, originally broadcast on May 4, 1990.
Alan Kaufman, "Review of Hubert Selby Jr.'s last novel"
''San Francisco Chronicle''.
''Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow''
(2005) Documentary on Hubert Selby Jr.
Interview: Hubert Selby Jr.
''Spike Magazine''

''
L.A. Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...
'', May 6, 2004
www.exitwounds.com Exit Wounds
Official website of Hubert Selby Jr. and Nick Tosches.
Encyclopædia Britannica "Selby, Hubert Jr."
Encyclopædia Britannica
Hubert Selby Jr. Biography
Cinema.com
Hubert Selby Jr., "Why I Continue To Write. Thirty-five years after ''Last Exit to Brooklyn''"
''LA Weekly'', February 26 - March 4, 1999.
Divorce Decree July 18, 1969
Copia Certificada De Sentencia De Divorcio, Acta No. 337156 {{DEFAULTSORT:Selby, Hubert Jr. 1928 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers American male novelists American male screenwriters American male short story writers American sailors Deaths from pulmonary embolism Military personnel from New York City Military personnel from New York (state) Novelists from New York (state) People from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Postmodern writers Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from New York (state) Stuyvesant High School alumni United States Merchant Mariners