EARLY PRAISE
Joe Woodward gives us an invaluable guide to the difficult life of the mysterious and great Nathanael
West. While tracking the sources and struggles of West's writing, Alive Inside the Wreck marvelously
evokes the moment when his singular novels made their indelible mark on a new American literature.
Honor Moore
Author
of The Bishop's Daughter
We are long overdue for
a new biography of Nathanael West—none has been published since Jay Martin’s distinguished Nathanael West:
The Art of His Life. Joe Woodward is the perfect writer to re-tell the provocative life story of America’s
Bad Boy of the West, genius of satire and violence. Joe Woodward, an acclaimed journalist and critic will
draw not only on established biographical material on West, but also from a wealth of new primary and secondary material on
the author. I have read the proposal for Alive Inside the Wreck: A Biography of Nathanael
West and feel confident in predicting that this “reincarnation” of one of America’s most powerfully
disturbing and prescient writers will re-charge West’s reputation and make his name all over again.
Carol Muske-Dukes
Author of Channeling Mark Twain
National Book Award Finalist
California Poet Laureate
Nathanael
West is one of those writers who have become iconic; his whose work still shimmers in the creative consciousness of almost
all well-read writers, influencing their work whether or not they are aware of it. It is not too much to
say that Miss Lonelyhearts and The Day of the Locust have permanently colored our view of life as it is
lived in the United States. At the same time, Nathanael West’s own life is not well known to many
of the people who so admire him, and it has been some time since we have had a really good biography of this author whose
works have profoundly affected so many. I believe that there are many people who would welcome a new biography of this remarkable
author.
I was happy to hear that Joe Woodward
would be writing a biography of Nathanael West, and was very excited by his proposal. Finally, Nathanael
West will have a biographer who can do him justice! Joe Woodward has the skill to write such a biography—his
previous work has established his qualifications for such a difficult task—but above all, he has the sensitivity and
the intelligence to interpret the facts of Nathanael West’s life. Joe Woodward would have the ability
to do justice to West’s violent, dark, tortured characters, and would not find himself at sea dealing with the life
of such a difficult writer. He has already begun tapping sources available to him and in the process has
uncovered a great deal of new information. I look forward to Joe Woodward’s Alive Inside
the Wreck, and am certain he find a large and eager audience for the book he creates.
Susan Fromberg
Schaeffer Author of Anya &
The Madness
of a Seduced Woman
National Book Award Finalist
