Letters

MAPPLETHORPE RAG

I want to extend my appreciation to PaI tricia Morrisroe for her intuitive, tasteI ful, and honest account of Robert Mapplethorpe's life and love ["The Demon Romantics," July]. I have read many degrading articles on Mapplethorpe by writers who have not had the depth to look through his often disconcerting behavior and who did not have the skills to effectively represent the worthy aspects of his life. By portraying the desperation of the relationship between Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith, Morrisroe gave us insight into Mapplethorpe's search for a purely human connection that has provided me with a much greater appreciation for both Mapplethorpe and his art.

ERIKA L. COSSITT Scottsdale, Arizona

One of the hallmarks of a photographic portrait by Robert Mapplethorpe is the

communication between the finished piece and the viewer. In his final pictures of Patti Smith, she is saying good-bye to Robert, and consequently to us too.

GARY L. JACKSON Houston, Texas

Gentleman of the Court

I would like to commend Dominick Dunne on his series of Letters from Los Angeles, concerning the O. J. Simpson trial. Dunne has the courage to express his convictions, which, unfortunately, run counter to those of the vast majority of journalists, particularly in Los Angeles. Many people I talk to about the case believe as I do, that Dunne is actually performing a public service with his bold stance. Given the barrage of media attention and the circuslike atmosphere surrounding the case—from the Los Angeles Times's regular comedy item called "Cirque du O.J." to the local news anchors' unwillingness to believe that their hero could possibly have been the perpetrator of such a heinous crime—Dunne stands as the lone voice of reason and sanity. He's there to remind the general public that at the heart of this farce, far from the madding crowd, there's a very quiet place where two people have been laid to rest forever under the most tragic and unjust circumstances.

KATHLEEN ROGERS La Canada-Flintridge, California

Some of the most engrossing Vanity Fair pieces I have read are by Dominick Dunne. "O.J. fever" is even beginning to take hold here in Australia, and I find Dunne by far the most interesting of the many who seek to "give us the juice." Keep it coming.

ANNA CAMPBELL West Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Dominick Dunne, more than any other public commentator on the O. J. Simpson trial, understands, analyzes, and presents the gestalt that

most rational people seem to be "getting" from this grotesque event, quaint presumptions of innocence notwithstanding.

The world is rightfully in awe of Dunne's breathtaking deftness in juxtaposing glamour and horror, and why not go to late-19th-century Italian musical theater to find a blonde bimbo who succumbs to brutalization of the neck area by a swarthy, rich, and insanely

jealous husband ["Follow the Blood,"

July]? But wait a minute. Did people have to go to an "opening night" (of an opera, albeit one of the greatest ever composed, based on that play) to know that Othello existed? I detect no irony in Mr. Dunne's observation that it took Verdi, not Shakespeare, to awaken this glittering audience to a story that I thought no one got out of high school without knowing. Or is the writer's contempt for Los Angeles so ingrained that it all strikes him as perfectly natural that L.A. society is ignorant of one of the masterpieces of the English language, and, what's more, that it takes them until the second act to catch on to the plot?

And, hey, Hollywood may not know Shakespeare from a hill of beans, but how could it forget Ronald Colman's 1947 Oscar-winning performance in George Cukor's A Double Life, also based on the Othello story, in which the actor strangles Shelley Winters? Have these people no heritage at all?

DANNY FIELDS New York, New York

After reading Dominick Dunne's article, I would like to elaborate on Mr.

Dunne's comments. On the evening of May 6, 1995, I attended the Oscar De La Hoya-Rafael u Ruelas fight in Las Vegas. Before the fight started, Robert Shapiro (¶ entered the arena with his wife and two young children. When the crowd saw Mr. Shapiro, the great majority of the 10,000 fans booed, shouted insults, and made inappropriate hand gestures. I was appalled to see Mr. Shapiro subject his children to such a display. He was clearly more concerned with being seen than with the feelings of his children. Mr. Sha-

pjro has every right to try to fill his bottomless ego pit, but to subject his children to this

type of outrageous behavior is a criminal offense, one for which he has no defense.

GEORGE M. HORN, PH.D.

Escondido, California

Although we in Africa get updates on the O.J. trial on CNN, Dominick Dunne has brought to life the trial's ins and outs. I just hope I'll be able to get more of the dirt in upcoming issues,

from fnends fcrry,n« over the ma*a'

zine to me, since magazines

make it in the mail. Issues of Vanity Fair are rare and cherished commodities in Tanzania. Keep up the good work, Dominick Dunne—you make me laugh and think and ponder the American judicial system.

MRS. AKEELA MALIK Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Africa

Southern Comfort

What a perfect wedding of storytellers ["The Conroy Saga," by John Berendt, July]! I can't wait to get my copy of Pat Conroy's Beach Music. Not just everyone can render a writer sitting in a chair longhanding a manuscript a matter of clock-ticking suspense, but Berendt managed to do exactly that.

GRAYSON ROQUEMOUR Albany, Georgia

Carol Conroy is not only a gifted poet, as John Berendt's paean to Pat Conroy suggests. In her latest collection, The Beauty Wars, published by Norton, Carol Conroy brilliantly illuminates the provenance of the Conroy-family legacy through language—while profoundly respecting the dignity of each person in it. Through the eyes of Carol, whom poet Galway Kinnell calls "one of the most remarkable poets now writing," a more lucid portrait of the family Conroy emerges—in a voice no less passionate than that of its most strident mouth.

PENELOPE BAYNTON New York, New York

Thanks for your wonderful story on my literary hero, Pat Conroy. Back in October 1986, when The Prince of Tides was released, I had my first novel, Actors, published. I was frustrated that my book wasn't disappearing from bookshelves and causing jubilation in the streets. I went to my local store to count copies of my book and catch Pat Conroy, who was there autographing The Prince of Tides. Once the crowd dwindled, Mr. Conroy talked with me for 20 minutes about the ups and downs of publishing "your first." I felt reassured, honored, and elated. I bought his book, of course. And before I left, he pulled a copy of my Actors from the store shelf, plopped down his money, and had me autograph my novel for him.

KEVIN O BRIEN Seattle, Washington

John Berendt's article on Pat Conroy provided a unique portrait of a man whose works have captured my attention, imagination, and admiration. I found it interesting that his books have resulted in the splintering of his family, yet his father reminded the reader that "Pat writes fiction, don't forget."

If his son does write fiction, as Don Conroy emphasizes, then why has the "nonfiction" of Pat's life that is depicted within his books, chiefly The Great Santini and The Prince of Tides, alienated his family to such a degree? Writers do tend to utilize that which they know when writing.

It appears that Pat Conroy has come to terms with his life, whereas members of his family are ignoring, avoiding, or exaggerating what has haunted their ability to heal and move forward.

CHRISTINE PENFIELD Lakewood, Colorado

So, in the opinion of Colonel Don Conroy, literary men (especially those who type their own stories) are sissies. A bigger man stands before a typewriter, while a lesser man sits in an airplane cockpit taking orders from someone else. Colonel Conroy, meet Ernest Hemingway. By the way, Colonel, bring along your red blazer; you will need it after Mr. Hemingway has finished, er, conversing with you.

HENDRIK BAARSLAG Tacoma, Washington

Just Kidman

I was very impressed with Leslie Bennetts's article on Nicole Kidman ["La Femme Nicole," July]. There is more to her than stunning good looks and being married to Tom Cruise: she is smart and funny, and obviously doesn't let Hollywood stardom go to her head. Both she and her husband are very levelheaded and family-oriented. Kidman hasn't been given the credit she deserves. It's high time we saw more of her.

LIA KNISEL Lynn Haven, Florida

Who is Nicole Kidman kidding? I am ^ not the biggest fan of Tom Cruise, but | she should thank God (or L. Ron HubS bard, for that matter) she married the 1 prince of Hollywood or she'd still be doing mimes Down Under.

D. TUNNO Fort Lauderdale, Florida

My hopes for Nicole Kidman's heightened fame were raised by her appearance on April's Hollywood-fest cover, but it is Leslie Bennetts's fine conversation with the ravishing redhead that assures me that the lady is poised to paint herself quite a Portrait. Each of her performances has commanded attention—if not, unfortunately, equality with regard to Mr. Nicole Kidman's paychecks and prominence.

STEVE LAMBERT Clark, New Jersey

Postscripts

So what's to selling a handbag ["A Gucci Knockoff," by Judy Bachrach, July]? Those Italians, they make a drama out of everything.

A. BLAYER-BROWN Milton Keynes, England

Thank you so much for your article on Kelly Lynch ["Kelly's Rebel Heart," by Henry Alford, July]. Kelly is one of the hottest actresses around, and it is a shame that she is not getting the recognition she deserves.

RAY M. RESENDEZ Washington, D.C.

Your July issue was absolutely wonderful. I have not enjoyed any issue of any magazine as much as I enjoyed reading this one. From Gucci and Monet to Conroy and Mapplethorpe, it is by far one of the most entertaining issues to date.

LISA A. CLYBURN Roselle, New Jersey

Love Notes

I am a very big fan of Courtney Love's ["Love Child," by Kevin Sessums, June]; I respect her and her music very much. The June-issue cover is both mystical and beautiful, a side of Courtney we've never known. Your magazine opened people's eyes to what she really is—a survivor.

VALERIE GRENIER L'Orignal, Ontario, Canada

Janis Joplin, the greatest white blues singer of her generation, is a rock and cul-

tural icon, and still worthy of enormous attention and praise. But Courtney Love?! Give us a break.

LINWOOD GUYTON JR.

Richmond, Virginia

Hurrah for Kevin Sessums for finally asking the question that has been burning in all of our minds: "Courtney, how can drugs be in your life?" Love's lame response that she uses drugs because of their "accessibility" speaks volumes. I would like to see Courtney Love become clean once and for all, own up to her parental responsibilities, and become a huge commercial success—then she would be a worthy poster girl of Generation X. She says that she is a survivorlet's see her prove it.

KATHARINE FRANKS LARKIN Upper Saint Clair, Pennsylvania

Aggie Pride

At one point in her article on Phil Gramm ["The Ironman Cometh," May] Marjorie Williams refers to Texas A&M as a "second-rate university." Do you consider Nobel Prize-winning faculty members "second-rate"? Are Pulitzer Prize-winning professors "second-rate"? We Aggies think these accomplishments are first-rate.

Texas A&M University is in the forefront of modern technological development and holds the strictest of academic standards. Texas A&M has the secondlargest College of Engineering in the country. Thirteen professors are even members of the National Academy of Engineering. The College of Business Administration is second in the nation. Texas A&M University is ranked fourth in National Merit Scholars—before Stanford, Princeton, and Yale. Texas A&M is ranked in the top 10 for total research expenditures, keeping company with other distinguished schools such as Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Texas A&M is also the future site of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

CONCERNED STUDENTS OF TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

Accompanied by 1,492 signatures College Station, Texas

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