Straka Obituary Transcription from Jen Heyward's Tumblr Blog

V. M. Straka
The writer V. M. Straka died last Wednesday in Havana Cuba according to authorities.  A prolific and controversial novelist, he published eighteen novels, most notably Miracle at Braxenholm (1911), The Santana March (1922), and Wineblood's Mine (1939), and most infamously Washington & Greene, which was banned in the United States and the United Kingdom shortly after publication in 1929 because of its seditious themes and its slanderous attacks on public figures.

It is almost universally agreed that "V. M. Straka" was a pseudonym, and no verifiable facts about the writer's life have ever come to light.  (Theories about his identity have abounded for decades.  Just last month, the biographer of the late Canadian adventurer C. F. J. Wallingford claimed that his subject led a double life as the gadfly novelist.)  Straka shunned all contact with the public; he gave no interviews or lectures, and appears to have had no friendships or even contact with others in his profession.  His longtime publisher, Karst & Son, has never provided any biographical details.

Most critics believe that Straka's best-known books were successful more their leftist outrages than for their literary quality.  Proof of this can be found in his final two books - the impenetrable Coriolis and the saccharine Winged Shoes of Emido[sic]Alves in which the writer largely dispensed with his dogmatic political stances and attempted to win readers with more conventionally pleasing themes.  Both with ignominious failures, critically and comercially[sic], and it was well understood that Straka's most successful and most interesting years were behind him.

Police in Havana say Straka was the victim of a violent attack in the hotel room in which he was staying.  Fittingly, he had registered there under a pseudonym.

It is, of course, impossible to discuss what sort of man Straka was without knowing which man Straka was.  Still, a writer's work is a likely indicator of his temperament and tendencies; in Straka's case, one might reasonably conclude that he was a thoroughly disagreeable, socially inept, inconsiderate of anyone's needs but his own, strident in his poorly-informed opinions, and given to unhealthy habits and associations - in short, the sort of man whose demise will grieve only the handful of readers who remain interested in consuming his stories - not anyone whose life had in any way intersected with his.

It is unknown whether Straka left a family or a literary executor.  Karst & Son has issued any comments on the death.

(photo of obit can be found here.)

Monkey's Marginalia No 15

1.  Unpopular Ford models & the McKay's review

Edsel B. Grimshaw is a direct reference to 3 (or 4) unpopular Ford Models.

• Ford Edsel-models falling under the Edsel marque (1958-1960)
• Ford Model B (1904-1906, 1932-34)
• Ford Pinto (1971-1980) The reference to the Pinto comes from Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co.

The Ford Motor Co. was obviously established by Henry Ford, who used the assembly lines and fair wages for his own employees to make the automobile affordable for the middle class.  He also used most of his vast personal wealth to create the Ford Foundation.  As with several historical figures, sometimes their works are a mixed bag; Ford was also known for his anti-union activities, and as the author of some anti-semitic pamphlets. 

Also of note is the Mercury(!) brand or marque sold under the Ford Motor Co. umbrella.  The Pinto was sold as the rebadged Mercury Bobcat in Canada and the U.S. 

2.  Possible design for the obsidian pieces? 

3.  Arquimedes des Sobreiro is a corkscrew...

The Greek Archimedes invented a form of water pump called the Archimedes screw.  Sobreiro means cork tree.   Playing around with the words a little, I got corkscrew and water tree (a plant found in Australia). 

4.  The first two words (not titles) of the last 4 sections of the book rearrange to say "there is a man shrouded in the territory."

McKay's ads transcribed from the Edsel B. Grimshaw review

THE OLDEST WRITERS' SERVICE

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AGNES M. REEVE,

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STORIES, NOVELS, ARTICLES, BOOKS MARKETED.

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LITERARY AGENTS 29 YEARS

We sell short stories, articles, books, radio scripts, plays. Verse also considered. Constructive criticism for new writers. Personal representation for established authors. Editing, revision. For information and references,

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All subjects, out-of-print, rare, etc. Special items for collectors acquired. New books at publishers' prices postpaid.

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Unusual, hard-to-find, out-of-print books at reasonable prices. Send your wants. Institutional lists accepted. Fast thorough(?) service. No obligation.

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ATHEIST BOOKS

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-print and distribute your manuscript in pamphlet or book form. Send for free folder.

PAMPHLET DISTRIBUTING CO., 11(?) W. 5 St., N.Y.

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Just the book for Lenten Reading

THE LIGHT

by

STEFAN TATE

At all bookstores......$3.95

Two Shoes Publishing

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OUT-OF-PRINT and HARD-TO-FIND

books supplied: also genealogies; Incomplete sets completed: magazine back numbers supplied, etc. All subjects, all languages. Send us your list of book-wants ---no obligation. We report quickly. Lowest prices.

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P.S. We also BUY old books and magazines.

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Daring, vivid, exciting!

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By JOSHUA LEE

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-BENJAMIN JAMES, Examine.

At all bookstores MACMILLAN

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“WHO ARE THE MASTERS OF POWER?'

ANDREW SILVER authority on the changing social-political geography of our post-war world, identifies 15 persons who cradle the specter of power that will dictate unwritten rules and boundaries. He foresees an arms race between East and West. A cold war fought under the guise of regional, post-colonial conflicts. A chilling question arises. Will preventing the end of the world mean sacrificing the lives of thousands?

THE POWER 15

ROSE & BLATT

Publishing

at bookstores $3.50

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Monkey's Marginalia, No 14

1. I am pleased to point out that Terry Priest has updated his great resource on all things Traven with some of his notes on S. and a comparison of of the two reclusive authors, Straka and Traven.

2. Geekyzen pointed out to me in the comments of an earlier post that another blogger has mentioned Stephen King in relation to S.  I am feeling a bit sheepish as I forgot all about it until after I had written my post on King.

3. I have found marginalia notes to support the alternate ending found on the Jen Heyward's tumblr blog.

• Filomela gives a sealed envelope to Eric and Jen.  According to Arturo, Filomela was given the envelope by a Frenchman (Desjardins, probably) in the 1970s and although it was in her possession, she never opened it.  (marginalia, pp. 422 & 452)
• Eric's note in pencil noting the shifting point of view from S to Vevoda VI.  Jen adds a coment about the monkey's vantage point. (marginalia, p. 343)  
• Jen also notes that this version gives her nightmares: "All those women..." which is a reference to S finding the three women dead along with a baby in Vevoda's cellar.  (marginalia, p. 452)
• Jen notes that the naval mines are not included in ending of the print book, and Eric notes that Filomela probably didn't know that Straka was going to include them. (marginalia, p. 455) 

4.  More fun and games with anagrams. The printing on the back of the photo of the mysterious arch can anagram to a number of things. Oh, btw, the arch is a blind arch as its purpose is decorative and is not supporting anything.  The wording on the back of the photo reads:  This paper manufactured by Spectra Photo.

• pirate treasure map
• suspect s estate map phony bouchard paris fr
• the postcards are not ciphers
• arch coordinates are by a sea (remaining letters PRMUFUCTPHT) 

5. And there may be a possible transposition cipher in Chapter 5, Down, and Out.  I put both paragraphs on a grid and left off the last part of the second paragraph which allows both pieces of text to fit on a 18x18 square.  Instead of putting the paragraphs on top of each other, I turned them so they are facing each other; because when you hold hands, it's the palms of the hands that face each other and touch.   As the number of characters in both text strings are divisible (50 & 49 characters) and therefore can fit onto a grid, they are good candidates for some sort of transposition cipher. 

AUREETKTEUNIEINEDWTETAYSHGOHOTHSPDAEOEMTEWHCBLTWAP

BTENHODHMMOHKGOHIOTYTEITEUEYEHUIDIDFLISOVAKOEGMEA

(8/17/14, edited for grammar and tags added)

The Nazca King

I had left off with a teaser about how I thought Stephen King might be the Nazca king as mentioned in the previous Monkey's Marginalia.  I enjoy King's writing, but I've never really been a fan of horror, so I gleened what I could off of what I remembered and from the internet. If there are any King fans out there who can add to this list, I will be happy to include your contributions (and give you credit).

1. My mom pointed out that 19 is a very important number in King's Tower series.  Wikipedia says the the series was inspired by Browning's Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came; and the character Roland Deschain was inspired by the Clint Eastwood character, "the man with no name."  Even the Michael Whelan illustration for the Dark Tower bears a striking resemblance to Eastwood.   The primary antagonist of the series is the Crimson King, aka, Lord of Spiders.  His purpose is to tear down the foundations of the dark tower to destroy the existing worlds so he can rule the resulting chaos, not unlike Vevoda, who seeks to control the narrative so that he can rule the world by hiding his true intent. 

2.  King does use other authors for inspiration and real events for his stories.  Ray Bradbury, Robert Browning, Richard Matheson, Joseph Payne Brennan, and many others have inspired King.  It was an anthology of H.P. Lovecraft that inspired him to become a writer of horror fiction.

3.  According to the Eotvos Wheel website:

The Nineteenth Prince of Spiders (c. 400 A.D.), allegedly an important religious and political leader from the third phase of the Nazca civilization. (N. b.: The Nazca lived in what is present-day Peru and are known for their creation of mysterious geoglyphs that extend over long stretches of desert ground.) According to Straka, Prince of Spiders, a 1951 book by the American clairvoyant/amateur archaeologist/Straka enthusiast Sullivan Dunn, this Nazca prince was his society’s “keeper of narrative” and has continued to deliver stories, Muse-like, to writers throughout the world and throughout the ages. Dunn speculated that the prince’s transcendent powers may have stemmed from a connection to a wise and culturally-advanced race of extraterrestrials, though he noted, helpfully, that he had not yet unearthed conclusive proof of this. Dunn’s disciples, though much fewer in number today, are still extant (and vocal) in the world of amateur Straka sleuthing. 

King wrote the introduction for the 400th issue of Batman (DC Comics).  DC Comics was at one point known as Adventure Comics before the name evolved to what it is today.  We already know 19 is important to Stephen King, but as far as I can tell 51 might be a reference to his 51st book appearing in print, 11/22/63, which could also be another potential vintage for Vevoda's cellar.
The name Sullivan Dunn can be related to William Dunn, who purchased the film rights for Pet Semetary with King; and possibly to William Sullivan who appears in three short stories of King's, or Timothy Robert Sullivan, author, (from Bangor, Maine) who has appeared as Oberon in Ill Met by Moonlight, and adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. (Just a reminder that Ill Met by Moonlight is one of the reference ads used as inspiration in the McKay's review.)

4.  The Shining.  King hated Kubrick's adaptation of novel, even though it is considered by many to be a masterpiece.  Perhaps just as interesting is Kubrick's own copy of The Shining, which he used for reference when making the film.

Look familiar? (image from openculture.org)

5.  The monster in It takes the form of a spider. Stephen King's father was born in Peru, Indiana and the Nazca lived in what is now the country of Peru.  This involves world play, but King was the surname of Stephen King's father, so in essence, King is a king (from is his surname) and a prince (as he is the son of a "king").  

(8/17/14 edits for grammar and tags added)

Another package recieved from our fine feathered friends...

Since June 6 is the anniversary of Straka's death, it seemed fitting to release another version of Chapter 10 from Ship of Theseus at midnight, Havanna, Cuba time.  Hope you all enjoy these alternate versions as much as I have.

The Monky's Marginalia, No 13

Once again, I've collected enough bits and pieces to create a new edition of The Monkey's Marginalia.


1.  Ever wonder why "follow the monkey" sounds so familiar?  It might be due to its similarity to the phrase, "follow the money,' which was popularized in the film, All the President's Men about the Watergate Scandal.

2. Amritsar, India (as in A Hundred Aprils in Amritsar) was the site of a massacre April 13, 1919 and may be a reference in itself to the century-long control over India held by the East India Company before control was turned over to the British crown and/or the almost century-long rule of India by the British Crown.

3.  Geekyzen was on the right path with the morse code from the whoisstraka.com website, but I think her error was in adding too many dashes.  I only added a dash when there was a space under a corresponding dot at the end of the lines of what we think is the encrypted message to get this:  dot dash dot dash dash dash dot dash dash dot dash dash dot dash dash dot dot dash dot dash dash dot dash dot dot dot dash dot dash dash dot dash dash dot dash dash dot dot dot dash dot dash dot dot.

The only translation that I could get to work was: ROW AN MEET AT A STATE MAN INNE or ROW AN MEET AT A STATE MAN IN NE (New England).  I think it's a reference to George Washington at the Delaware River.  Washington would have been a "state man" in his support for the colonies' independence from British rule.  At the time of Washington's crossing, the war was not going well for the colonies.  The revolutionary forces were seriously demoralized from a series of crushing defeats by the British who had more men and better equipment.  Washington's subsequent victories on the other side of the Delaware turned the tide for the American Revolution.  There is also also an inn at the spot where Washington crossed which is known today as the Washington Crossing Inn, which makes sense; we know Dorst likes his layers.

One of the images on the website says, "safety in numbers won't keep you dry."  According to one of the soldiers who crossed the Delaware with Washington, "It blew a hurricane."  Facing rain, sleet and snow during the crossing, the revolutionaries were cold and wet having reached the other side.

4. Zorro first appeared in print in 1919 in The Curse of Capistrano. Written by pulp fiction author and screenwriter Johnston McCulley, who wrote under several pseudonyms, it was originally written as a one-off story.  It was the silent movie version that prompted to McCulley to write additional Zorro novellas and short stories, causing some discontinuity problems with the original story and those following after.

 Zorro is a composite of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Robin Hood, several real-life bandits, perhaps a guy named Lampton and maybe even a penny dreadful version of Spring Heel'd Jack, who instead of terrorizing London like he does in other versions, he is a nobleman/vigilante.   Also interesting as some of these guys were real criminals, but the Scarlet Pimpernel was a a nobleman saving French nobility during the Reign of Terror; so their purposes and intents changed over time.

McCulley, creator of Zorro,  also wrote a story featuring a bad guy known as the Spider. Many of McCulley's stories were printed in the The Argosy magazine founded by Frank Munsey.  Several of his authors used pseudonyms and he was known to completely retool/rename his magazines, sometimes overnight.

5.  Jorge Luis Borges continues to be fruitful in subtler ways.  I bought an anthology he edited and one of the stories, Enoch Soames, features a "black wine" that is connected to a Mephistopheles-type character.  I should note that Enoch Soames in the story wears a grey oil-cloth cloak and a black hat described as "clerical."

6.  I suspect that Stephen King is the Nazca king.  More to come.