Writing off Fear

The pseudo-folky, he-man dialogue that sounded so intellectually and humanly inadequate when reported by Lillian Ross is given here by Hotchner at full length, and still sounds just as inadequate. But we see now what we had only glimpses of before—that there is a cunning, crafty, full-blooded artist making up this dialogue, for a logical and consistent, though tragically misguided, reason.

Most writers try to use their writing as the medium through which they come to terms with the w...