Threats – Mario Puzo

When the novel “The Godfather” was published, Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) threatened the author of the book, Mario Puzo (1920-1999), because he believed that he served the author as an inspiration for the fictional mobster, singer and actor in the book, Johnny Fontane.

Puzo was enraged after hearing Sinatra’s threats:

“I do remember him saying that if it wasn’t that I was so much older than he, he would beat the hell out of me. What hurt was that here he was, a northern Italian, threatening me, a southern Italian, with physical violence. This was roughly equivalent to Einstein pulling a knife on Al Capone. It just wasn’t done.”

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Cool – Charles Dickens

The phrase "cool" is widely spread among young people everywhere in the world today.  However, not many people know that among the first who used such phrase, in terms of leaving an impression on those who are present, was Charles Dickens, in 1837.

In his novel “The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club” (also known as The Pickwick Papers), Dickens described a scene in which a coachman is holding the reins of a horse with one hand, a remarkable feat, and then, with ease, with his other hand takes out a handkerchief from his pocket, showing others how "cool" he is.

However, this phrase didn’t spread among the young until the middle of the last century. From then and on it spread mostly thanks to jazz, Charlie Parker and the movie "West Side Story" in which members of the gang the “Jets" were so "cool”...

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Oh, Melanie! – Margaret Mitchell

If we take into account all described battles that took place during the American Civil War (1861-1865), Melanie, one of the main characters of Margaret Mitchell’s novel "Gone with the Wind", was pregnant no less than twenty-one month!

When this best-seller was published, an editor of the publishing house noticed this mistake in description and told Margaret. She just shrugged and said:

- So what? After all, our Southerner's pace is slower than your Yankee.

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I Am Emma Bovary! – Gustave Flaubert

In 1857, when a novel “Madame Bovary” was published, cultural community raised a voice because of too free form of description of love adultery case of Emma Bovary, lonely and unhappy wife of a doctor.

Many believed that the novelist Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) had in mind a certain lady when he was writing the novel, so they wanted to know who was the real Madam Bovary.

Not being able to resist the insistence of onlookers, Flaubert, finally, during one literary evening, said:

- Gentlemen, now I’m going to tell you the whole truth. Madame Bovary is - myself.

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Happy Midwife – Rudyard Kipling

Writer Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was delighted when his first child was born.

At first, he didn’t know how to thank the midwife who helped his wife, and afterward took care of the baby. Then, it occurred to him:

- Please, take this handwriting of mine as an expression of gratitude and devotion - Kipling told midwife giving her the manuscript of his unpublished work. - If some day you get into trouble and you need money, maybe you’ll be able to sell it.

A few years later the midwife did as Kipling advised her. She sold his manuscript, and lived happily and in abundance until she died.

The manuscript Kipling gave her was of his novel "The Jungle Book."

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Vivid Imagination – Honore de Balzac

While he lay sick on his deathbed, the famous French writer Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) was unhappy that his health care was in the hands of some unknown doctors who unsuccessfully tried to help him.

-I do not want you to treat me - cry out in delirium the sick writer. Call doctor Bianchon! - pleaded Balzac.

Was Bianchon a famous doctor? In a certain sense, he still is. 

 

Horace Bianchon was a character from Balzac’s novel “Old Goriot” (Le Père Goriot) - a fictional character.

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"In Search of Lost Time"

French writer Marcel Proust (1871-1922) was desperate when he got a letter in which well-known publisher Mark Humboldt refuses to publish his life's work, a novel "In Search of Lost Time."

"My dear friend," the publisher’s letter began, "maybe I am completely without a brain, but I do not see why anyone would be interested to read thirty pages just to find out how the narrator rolls in bed because he can not sleep!"

“Gallimard” later published the novel and this is one of the most celebrated works of French literature.

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