Letter from Roger Knoebber to James Kennedy McCann, 15 January 1996

Paris, France: Roger Knoebber (letter), 1996.
11.75" x 8.25", single sheet, both sides, typed.
RK19960115_LJKM4_1

A typed letter from Roger Knoebber to James Kennedy McCann, dated 15 January 1996.

This letter mentions a book on Brion Gysin that Roger Knoebber was working on with a working title "Posthumous Profile."  This soon became Hysteresis: A Profile of Brion Gysin, published posthumously in 2024. This describes Roger's vision of the book, and clarifies that the book formally was not begun until 1996 – although he clearly was assembling materials that went into it since Gysin's death in 1986.

Roger Knoebber asks for James Kennedy McCann's support for the publishing of the book through the Academia Foundation, suggesting a "modest initial printing of 5,000 copies."

Roger Knoebber mentions Terry Wilson, with an unfortunately disparaging comment, in the context of recollections for his book.

He notes that the letter was typed on Brion Gysin's old 1946 [Royal] portable typewriter, on which Gysin wrote, supposedly, To Master a Long Good Night and many of the early Cut-up work. He also mentions that William S. Burroughs, Paul Bowles, and Allen Ginsberg used the typewriter.