Famous Writers I Have Known

October 14, 2013
At the start of the latest from Magnuson (The Hounds of Winter), New York City hustler Frankie Abandonato finds himself on the lam, hiding from the mob after a con gone wrong leaves his partner dead. Hopping on the next plane out of New York’s La Guardia, Frankie is mistaken for a famous author, the reclusive, J.D. Salinger-like V.S. Mohle, who was supposed to be on the same flight, but was scared off by a celebrity hound just before boarding. After the plane touches down in Austin, Tex., a trio of Mohle’s young fans whisk Frankie away to an elite writing program where the great man is slated to teach. The latest from Magnuson (The Hounds of Winter) weaves and bobs between Frankie’s attempts to become Mohle—learning the lingo of writers, giving readings, heading workshops—and his dealings with novelist Rex Schoeninger, Mohle’s oldest rival and the writing program’s chief benefactor. Learning Rex has $20 million in the bank, Frankie concocts an elaborate scheme to steal the elderly man’s fortune. Part satire of the creative writing industry (MFAs, awards, egos), part snappy grifter tale, this novel is a fast, fun read. Magnuson’s writing is strong, though his characters’ relationships sometimes lack believability. Agent: Emily Forland, Brandt and Hochman.

October 15, 2013
The literary racket proves fair game for a con man in Magnuson's eighth novel, a poorly designed caper. It's 1997. Frankie has spent most of the decade in the slammer. Now, the middle-aged grifter is back in his hometown, New York, reunited with Barry, his partner in crime. They have just scammed a guy, realizing too late he's the idiot son of a mob boss. Barry is killed by a goon; Frankie escapes, barely, taking the first flight out of town. He finds himself in Austin, Texas, being greeted by three adoring young women. Apparently, he's a dead ringer for V.S. Mohle, the Salinger-esque novelist the girls were expecting. They're students at the Fiction Institute, funded by Rex Schoeninger, the Michener-esque octogenarian known for his doorstop books and philanthropy. Years before, Rex beat out V.S. for a Pulitzer. Later, on The Dick Cavett Show, the two came to blows. (This is a cartoonish rehash of the celebrated 1970s faceoff between Gore Vidal and Norman Mailer.) Rex filed a lawsuit; V.S. moved to a Maine island and never wrote again. Now Rex, hoping to bury the hatchet, has invited V.S. to lead a writing workshop: easy work, big bucks, but V.S. got cold feet before his flight, which leaves Frankie in the spotlight. The con man decides to go for impersonation. The students are pussycats, and the program director is gullible. (There's some self-mockery here. Magnuson, who knew Michener, holds a similar position in Austin.) Despite some "oops!" moments, Frankie muddles through and wins over the curmudgeonly Rex by giving him a puppy. Frankie is a bit of a softie. This will disappoint readers looking for more hard-edged action, while those expecting literary scuttlebutt will find a campus scene that's altogether too mellow. Only toward the end does the action resume, with Frankie, self-described poor schlub that he is, making mistake after mistake. A novel that aims to appeal to two different readerships but is unlikely to satisfy either one.

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January 1, 2014

Magnuson's eighth novel begins like a humorous crime caper a la Elmore Leonard but quickly evolves into a sly satire of contemporary authorship and the academic writing workshop. A chain of unusual circumstances leads Frankie Abandonato, a small-time con man, into impersonating V.S. Mohle, a reclusive writer (clearly modeled on J.D. Salinger) with a cultlike following, who has been coaxed into leading a semester-long workshop in a renowned creative writing program in Texas. Mohle has a long-standing feud with the workshop's benefactor, Rex Schoeninger, a Micheneresque writer of historical epics. Initially intending to hide from the mob, collect Mohle's generous paycheck, and perhaps bilk Rex out of a portion of his considerable fortune, Frankie is increasingly drawn into the lives of his writing students and an uneasy father-son relationship with Rex. VERDICT Magnuson (The Hounds of Winter; dir., James A. Michener Ctr. for Writers, Univ. of Texas) knows well the territory and personalities of which he writes, and his joy at poking affectionate fun at them is infectious. An underlying theme regarding the tension between literature and popular fiction (and whether something can be both) doesn't detract from the entertainment.--Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Libs., Minneapolis

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Starred review from November 15, 2013
Self-described run of the mill con man Frankie Abandonato discovers that he's just conned the son of New Jersey's top Mafiosi. So he gets on the first flight out of New York. Landing in Austin, Texas, he's shocked to find three college students waiting to take him to his teaching assignment at the University of Texas' writers' program. The coeds think he's V. S. Mohle, a Salingeresque, one-hit literary legend who has been drawn out of seclusion by another literary legend, Rex Schoeninger. Rex, patterned closely on James Michener, has endowed the writers' program and believes that he is responsible for ending Mohle's literary career. Frankie quickly adapts to being viewed as a genius, and he also decides to separate the writer-philanthropist from his remaining millions. Magnuson, who knew Michener during the last decade of his life, directs UT's writers' program, and his tale is rich with verisimilitude. His Rex is an old man nearing death, by turns generous and cantankerous, prideful and modest. It's an evocative, insightful portrait. Street smart Frankie comes to like Rex, sort of, and Magnuson keeps the reader guessing about whether Frankie will ultimately fleece him. He also salts his narrative with realistically critical observations about the writing life. A bit of crime, a lot of charm, and an insider's look at famous writers; something for nearly everyone.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)