[Ads-l] Anecdote: Oh! You're the man who can't spell. Tallulah Bankhead zings Norman Mailer (Update)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Jesse Sheidlower told me about an important citation which illuminates
the “fug” legend.

Background: The 1948 war novel “The Naked and the Dead” by Norman
Mailer employed the euphemism “fug” (“fugged”, “fugging”) instead of
the four-letter word for intercourse. According to a popular literary
anecdote a witty woman who was introduced to Mailer shortly after the
release of the book said: Oh! You’re the man who can’t spell.

Jesse located a 1954 letter from Mailer in which he stated that the
incident never occurred.

[ref] 2014, The Selected Letters of Norman Mailer, Edited by J.
Michael Lennon, Letter Number 130, Letter To: Basil Mailer, Letter
Date: November 17, 1954, Start Page 181, Quote Page 182, Random House,
New York. (Verified with scans) [/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
The [Tallulah] Bankhead story, alas. It’s not true. I never met her.
But I hear the story everywhere. Probably her press agent put it out.
In irritation (because the story has me by implication shifting my
feet and blushing to the ears) I spread a counter rumor. The new
legend (all mine) has it that I retorted, “Yes, and you’re the young
lady who doesn’t know how to.” This, too, has spread, although not as
completely, but once or twice I have actually heard people say to me,
“Your answer was wonderful.” Publicity marches on!
[End excerpt]

The Quote Investigator article has now been updated. Changes should be
visible within 48 hours.
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2019/03/12/fug/

[Begin acknowledgment]
Thanks to linguist Jesse Sheidlower, author of “The F-Word”, who told
QI about Mailer’s 1954 missive.
[End acknowledgment]

Feedback welcome,
Garson O’Toole

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