 Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | Andy Warhol |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
Publication date | 1968 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 451 p. |
a, also known as a: A Novel, is a 1968 book by the American artist Andy Warhol published by Grove Press. It is a nearly word-for-word transcription of tapes recorded by Warhol and Ondine over a two-year period in 1965–1967.
Background
a: A Novel was the second of several publishing projects Andy Warhol produced in his lifetime. Warhol wanted to be a writer but, much like his film work, spontaneous performances and an explicit lack of editing was used as a device.[1] Warhol wanted to write a "bad" novel, "because doing something the wrong way always opens doors".[2] Four typists were employed to transcribe the Warhol/Ondine tapes. Maureen Tucker, the drummer for the Velvet Underground, was an expert typist. However, she refused to transcribe the swear words and left them out. Two high school girls were hired to work on some of the tapes. When one girl's mother heard what they were listening to she threw out the tape, losing several hours of conversation. All four hired typists transcribed the dialogue differently, some identifying the speakers, others not. The editor for a, A Novel, Billy Name, preserved the transcripts as is, with every typo and inconsistent character identification, and even moving from two column pages to single-column based on each typist's style. The final printed version was identical to the typed manuscripts.[3]
- ^ Wolf, Reva (1997). Andy Warhol, Poetry, and Gossip in the 1960s. University of Chicago Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-226-90493-1.
- ^ Wolf, Reva (1997). Andy Warhol, Poetry, and Gossip in the 1960s. University of Chicago Press. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-226-90493-1.
- ^ Bockris, Victor (1989). The life and death of Andy Warhol. Bantam Dell Publishing Group. pp. 453–54. ISBN 978-0-553-05708-9.