Challenge for Garson, Stephen, and Others (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Garson O'Toole]

Stephen Goranson wrote:
> The Gallico quote is confirmed: 1946 book last page.

Many thanks for checking that cite, Stephen. Early in his career Paul
Gallico was a sports journalist like Red Smith.

http://www.paulgallico.info/notitle.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gallico

Maybe Gallico was inspired to use the phrase "open your veins and
bleed" in this somewhat macabre metaphor by stories like the
following:

Cite: 1928 January 15, New York Times, Debate Abolition of Death
Penalty, Page 27, New York. (ProQuest)

"The ancients had a higher regard for the dignity of manhood. In
ancient Greece and Rome the citizen who was condemned to die was
permitted to open his veins and bleed to death in his home. If I had
my way, I would permit every convict to take his own life with the
same freedom that he may now do so before conviction.

Admittedly, it is still not clear if Paul Gallico, Red Smith, or
someone else crafted or popularized the metaphor.
________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Garson O'Toole [adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM]
> Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2011 5:13 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: [ADS-L] Challenge for Garson, Stephen,              and Others (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> Wonderful work, Bill and Victor. Great citations!
>
> Google Books has a match in a book that it dates to 1946 but it is
> suspicious. Maybe Bill or Victor have already ruled it out. The match
> is supposedly on page 576, the last page.
>
> Cite: Confessions of a Story Writer by Paul Gallico, Page 576, A. A.
> Knopf, New York.  (Google Books snippet view; Not verified on paper;
> Susipicious; WorldCat  agrees with the date of publication)
>
> It is only when you open your veins and bleed onto the page a little
> that you establish contact with your reader. If you do not believe in
> the characters or the story you are doing at that moment with all your
> mind, strength, and will, ...
>
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>

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