Flowering Judas and Other Stories: A Library of America eBook Classic

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by Katherine Anne Porter


  1963

  In Rome collaborates with writer Abby Mann on the screenplay for Ship of Fools. Receives $1,000 prize from the Texas Institute of Letters. Buys lavish furnishings in Europe. Returns home in November to the shock of the Kennedy assassination. Inducted into the University of Maryland’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Attends luncheon at White House hosted by President and Mrs. Johnson.

  1964

  After reneging on offer to purchase house in Georgetown, becomes mired in legal morass. Continues to accept speaking engagements at colleges and universities. Leases large house at 3601 49th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. Lectures at the Instituto Cultural Norteamericano in Mexico City.

  1965

  The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter, comprising the three earlier collections and four fugitive stories, published by Harcourt, Brace. Follows Seymour Lawrence to Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., and then to Delacorte Press. Signs contracts with Lawrence for “The Devil and Cotton Mather” and her collected essays and occasional writings. Film version of Ship of Fools, directed by Stanley Kramer and starring Vivien Leigh, Lee Marvin, Simone Signoret, and others, is box-office success.

  1966

  The Collected Stories wins National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize. Receives honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Maryland, College Park, and announces eventual donation of papers to university library. Inducted into the 50-member American Academy of Arts and Letters. Begins personal and professional association with attorney E. Barrett Prettyman Jr.

  1967

  Presides over first meeting of The Katherine Anne Porter Foundation, established to provide financial support to younger writers. Accepts Gold Medal in Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

  1968

  Spends first week of January hospitalized with influenza. At home, receives numerous visitors, whom she entertains with lavish meals and fine wine.

  1969

  Moves to townhouse at 5910 Westchester Park Drive, College Park. Becomes member of usage panel for The American Heritage Dictionary. Begins choosing and revising pieces for her collected essays. Spends four weeks in Washington Hospital Center after falling down stairs. Editing of essay collection completed by Lawrence and literary friends. Sister Gay dies, December 28.

  1970

  The Collected Essays and Occasional Writings of Katherine Anne Porter published by Seymour Lawrence–Delacorte. Falls and breaks hip; spends two months in convalescent home. Moves to double apartment on top floor of 6100 Westchester Park Drive. Meets Clark Dobson and John David (Jack) Horner, young men who escort her to area social events. Meets Kathleen Feeley and Maura Eichner, sisters of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, who will guide her to a rite of reconciliation with the Roman Catholic Church on December 8.

  1971

  “The Spivvleton Mystery,” a comic story written in 1926, published in The Ladies’ Home Journal. Undergoes cataract surgery. Delivers keynote speech at “The Year of the Woman,” a seminar at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland.

  1972

  Receives Creative Arts Award for lifetime achievement in literature from Brandeis University. Returns Emerson-Thoreau Medal to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences when she learns that the Academy, for political reasons, has refused to consider Ezra Pound for the same award. Heart condition worsens. On assignment from Playboy, takes cruise ship to Florida to write eyewitness account of Apollo 17 moon shot; the launch is “glorious” but the article never completed. Gives inaugural lecture at the newly opened Katherine Anne Porter Room of McKeldin Library at the University of Maryland.

  1973

  Sister Baby dies, May 21. Dissolves The Katherine Anne Porter Foundation.

  1974

  Names Isabel Bayley her literary trustee. In private ceremony at home, receives honorary degree from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. Revises “The Land That Is Nowhere,” a fragment of autobiography written decades earlier, for publication in Vogue.

  1975

  “Notes on the Texas I Remember” appears in The Atlantic Monthly. Receives a rubbing of mother’s Indian Creek gravestone from Roger Brooks, president of Howard Payne University, in her native Brown County, Texas. Hires retired naval commander William R. Wilkins as personal assistant.

  1976

  Delivers Frances Steloff lecture at Skidmore College. In May, travels to Brownwood, Texas, to receive honorary degree from Howard Payne University and attend county-wide 86th-birthday celebration. Visits mother’s grave at Indian Creek. Gives final public reading, at the 92nd Street Y. Feeling unwell at year’s end, enters Johns Hopkins Medical Center for comprehensive tests.

  1977

  While in hospital suffers two major strokes. Returns home in early spring to round-the-clock nursing care. “The Never-Ending Wrong,” a memoir of the Sacco-Vanzetti case, published in The Atlantic Monthly and then as a short book by Atlantic–Little, Brown. Mental abilities deteriorate. When judged incompetent by psychiatrist, court appoints nephew Paul Porter her legal guardian.

  1978

  Experiences severe seizure in December. Graduate student Jane DeMouy becomes her friend and visits her regularly.

  1979

  Meets Ted Wojtasik, a young college graduate who helps organize her letters for eventual publication, a project later realized by Isabel Bayley. Receives visitors Monroe Wheeler, Robert Penn Warren, and Eleanor Clark, and calls, cards, and gifts from Isabel Bayley, Eudora Welty, Barbara Thompson, and other devoted friends.

  1980

  Moves to Carriage Hill Nursing Home in Silver Spring, Maryland. Friends gather for 90th birthday party. Sister Maura Eichner and Sister Kathleen Feeley visit regularly, accompanied by Father Joseph Gallagher, who hears confession and administers Eucharist (“I’m busy dying. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done”). Dies September 18, with Jane DeMouy by her side. Ashes buried the following spring in a plot adjacent to her mother’s grave in Indian Creek Cemetery.

  Note on the Texts

  This e-book contains Flowering Judas and Other Stories by Katherine Anne Porter. The text is taken from the first printing of The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter published by Harcourt, Brace & World in September 1965.

  Prior to being given the order they have in The Collected Stories, these stories were collected in various groupings. Porter’s first collection, Flowering Judas (New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1930), was printed in an edition limited to 600 copies and contained six stories: “María Concepción,” “Magic,” “Rope,” “He,” “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” and “Flowering Judas.” “Hacienda” appeared as a small book (New York: Harrison of Paris, 1934) printed in an edition limited to 895 copies. Flowering Judas and Other Stories (New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1935) collected the contents of the two earlier publications as well as three additional stories, arranged in the following sequence: “María Concepción,” “Magic,” “Rope,” “He,” “Theft,” “That Tree,” “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” “Flowering Judas,” “The Cracked Looking-Glass,” and “Hacienda.”

  The contents of Flowering Judas and Other Stories first appeared in books and periodicals as follows:

  Flowering Judas and Other Stories: “María Concepción,” The Century Magazine (December 1922); “Virgin Violeta,” The Century Magazine (December 1924); “The Martyr,” The Century Magazine (July 1923); “Magic,” transition (Summer 1928); “Rope,” The Second American Caravan, edited by Alfred Kreymborg and others (New York: The Macaulay Co., 1928); “He,” New Masses (October 1927); “Theft,” The Gyroscope (November 1929); “That Tree,” Virginia Quarterly Review (July 1934); “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” transition (February 1929); “Flowering Judas,” Hound & Horn (Spring 1930); “The Cracked Looking-Glass,” Scribner’s Magazine (May 1932); “Hacienda” (New York: Harrison of Paris, 1934).

  This volume presents the texts of the printings chosen for inclusion here but does not attempt to reproduce nontextual features of their typographic d
esign. The texts are printed without change, except for the correction of typographical errors. Spelling, punctuation, and capitalization are often expressive features, and they are not altered, even when inconsistent or irregular. Except for clear typographical errors, the spelling and usage of foreign words and phrases are left as they appear in the original texts. The following is a list of typographical errors corrected, cited by page and line number: 88.27, Cornalia; 97.5, a a very; 102.21, Zócolo,; 128.22, Missus; 138.31, sittling; 149.17, rawidhe; 164.16, beach.; 168.33, Doña; 173.4, fly-brown; 178.6, better the.

  Notes

  In the notes below, the reference numbers denote page and line of this volume (the line count includes headings). No note is made for material found in standard desk-reference books. Biblical quotations are keyed to the King James Version. For references to other studies, and further biographical background than is contained in the Chronology, see Katherine Anne Porter: Conversations, edited by Joan Givner (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1987); Katherine Anne Porters Poetry, edited by Darlene Harbour Unrue (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1996); Letters of Katherine Anne Porter, edited by Isabel Bayley (New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1990); Mae Franking’s “My Chinese Marriage,” by Katherine Anne Porter: An Annotated Edition, edited by Holly Franking (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1991); “This Strange, Old World” and Other Book Reviews by Katherine Anne Porter, edited by Darlene Harbour Unrue (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1991); Uncollected Early Prose of Katherine Anne Porter, edited by Ruth M. Alvarez and Thomas F. Walsh (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1993); Robert H. Brinkmeyer Jr., Katherine Anne Porters Artistic Development: Primitivism, Traditionalism, and Totalitarianism (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1993); Jane Krause DeMouy, Katherine Anne Porters Women: The Eye of Her Fiction (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1983); Joan Givner, Katherine Anne Porter: A Life, revised edition (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1991); George and Willene Hendrick, Katherine Anne Porter (Boston: G. K. Hall, 1988); Kathryn Hilt and Ruth M. Alvarez, Katherine Anne Porter: An Annotated Bibliography (New York: Garland, 1990); Enrique Hank Lopez, Conversations with Katherine Anne Porter, Refugee from Indian Creek (Boston: Little, Brown, 1981); Janis Stout, Katherine Anne Porter: A Sense of the Times (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1995); Mary Titus, The Ambivalent Art of Katherine Anne Porter (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2005); Darlene Harbour Unrue, Truth and Vision in Katherine Anne Porters Fiction (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1985), Understanding Katherine Anne Porter (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1988), and Katherine Anne Porter: The Life of an Artist (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2005); Thomas F. Walsh, Katherine Anne Porter and Mexico: The Illusion of Eden (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1992).

  1 fig-cactus] Prickly pear (Opuntia).

  2 informal] The Spanish informal means “unreliable,” “irresponsible.”

  3 I say to her. . . she goes quickly.] Cf. Matthew 8:9.

  4 Death and Resurrection” pulque shop] The death and resurrection of Christ is a common subject for murals decorating pulquerías, or shops dispensing pulque, a milky alcoholic beverage made from the juice of the agave plant.

  5 shrine at Guadalupe Villa] The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (erected 1532–1709), in the Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo, north of Mexico City, is sited on Tepeyac Hill, where it is said the Virgin Mary appeared to the humble Indian Juan Diego in December 1531. The shrine that houses Juan Diego’s tilma (cloak), miraculously imprinted with an image of Mary, is the most-visited Roman Catholic pilgrimage site in North America.

  6 Belén Prison] Mexico City prison (1880–1935) legendary for its brutality.

  7 brasero] Small grill with a coal box underneath.

  8 “This torment of love. . . why.’”] These and other lines attributed to Carlos throughout the story parody the diction and rhythms of Salomón de la Selva (1893–1959), Nicaraguan poet and onetime lover of Porter whose poems in English are collected in Tropical Town (1918) and A Soldier Sings (1919).

  9 St. Anthony] Antony of Padua (1195–1231), associated with the lily, a symbol of chastity.

  10 Tacubaya] Ancient village within Mexico City.

  11 paseo] Both a tree-lined boulevard and the leisurely, recreational drive or stroll one takes there.

  12 Chapultepec Park] Sixteen-hundred-acre park on the outskirts of Mexico City.

  13 membrillo] Quince paste.

  14 ¡Ay de mi!] Woe is me!

  15 The Little Monkeys”] Los Monotes, Mexico City café that in the 1920s was frequented by the muralist Diego Rivera, his wife, Frida Kahlo, and the caricaturist Miguel Covarrubias.

  16 sou marqué] Coin of the French colonies, worth less than a penny.

  17 Basin Street] Street bordering Storyville, famed red-light district of New Orleans.

  18 the Elevated] One of three elevated train lines that ran north and south through Manhattan from the 1850s through the 1950s.

  19 Ricci’s] Seymour de Ricci (1881–1942), British expert in rare books and manuscripts, tapestries, rugs, and fine furniture, long associated with Anderson Galleries, New York.

  20 Marie Dressler] Comic actress of vaudeville, stage, and screen (1868–1934).

  21 since. . . Independence] Since 1821, when Mexico won its sovereignty from Spain.

  22 Hotel Regis] Expensive hotel on the Avenida Juárez, favored by American tourists and expatriates.

  23 the North] The north of Mexico, where revolutionary forces were under the direction of General Doroteo Arango Arámbula (1877–1923), better known as Pancho Villa.

  24 in the old days] Between July 1914, when forces led by revolutionary general Álvaro Obregón (1880–1928) overthrew the dictatorship of Victoriano Huerta, and May 1917, when Venustiano Carranza (1859–1920) was inaugurated as the first president of Mexico under its present constitution.

  25 heaven tree] Ailanthus altissima, also known as Tree-of-Heaven or stinkbloom.

  26 Dinty Moore’s or the Black Cat] Mexico City cafés popular with American expatriates.

  27 St. Michael] The archangel Michael, commander of God’s army; see Daniel 10 and Revelation 12.

  28 Sixteenth of September Street] Calle Diez y Seis de Septiembre, named to commemorate the day in 1810 when the War of Independence from Spain began.

  29 gringa. Gringita!] “Gringa” and its diminutive, “gringrita,” are disparaging Latin American words for a foreign-born woman, especially a light-skinned English-speaker from the United States.

  30 He has. . . lonely as a wave.] Cf. “A la Orilla de un Palmar” (“At the edge of a Palm-grove”), folk song popularized by Manuel Maria Ponce (1882–1942).

  31 Jockey Club] Men’s cologne by the U.S. perfumery Caswell-Massey.

  32 Alameda] Historic park in the center of Mexico City.

  33 Zapata’s army] The Liberation Army of the South, formed in 1910 by revolutionist Emiliano Zapata (1879–1919).

  34 full charro dress] Colorful folkloric costume (traje de charro) typical of a cowboy from the Mexican state of Jalisco.

  35 Judas tree] Redbud tree (Cercis silliquastum); in Christian folklore it is said that Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Christ, hanged himself from such a tree, and since then its flowers, originally white, have bloomed blood red.

  36 corridos] Mexican popular ballads, cheaply printed as illustrated broadsides.

  37 Merced market] La Merced, the largest open-air market in Mexico City.

  38 Zócalo] Central square in Mexico City; also called the Plaza de la Constitución.

  39 Francisco I. Madero Avenue] Street named for the pro-democracy Mexican politician (1873–1913) who was a candidate for president in 1910, a year marked by widespread fraud at the polls by the incumbent administration of President Porfirio Díaz. Following the popular revolt against Díaz, Madero was installed as president (1911–13). He was executed after the 1913 coup d’etat by Victoriano Huerta.

  40 Paseo de la Reforma] Gran
d boulevard that cuts diagonally across Mexico City; it commemorates the liberal reforms of Benito Juárez (1806–1872), five-term president of Mexico (1858–72).

  41 Philosopher Footpath] Avenida de los Poetas, in Chapultepec Park (see note 13).

  42 O girl with the dark eyes] Cf. “Aquellos Ojos Verdes,” Mexican popular song of the 1920s by Aldolfo Ultera and Nilo Menéndez.

  43 Delgadito] Skinny little one.

  44 Paseo] Traditional parade of automobiles and carriages in the Paseo de la Reforma (see note 13).

  45 net] Neto; entirely; complete and unadulterated.

  46 May-day. . . Morelia] On May 13, 1921, a riot erupted between revolutionists and Catholics at Morelia, Michoacán. More than 50 persons were killed, many by police.

  47 General Ortiz] Pascual Ortiz Rubio (1877–1963), president of Mexico in 1930–32.

  48 County Sligo hall] The meeting hall of the County Sligo Men’s Social and Benevolent Association, founded in 1887 in New York City.

  49 outland Irish] Irish emigrants and their descendants, especially those settled in Great Britain.

  50 Black Protestants] Evangelical Protestants of Northern Ireland.

  51 mizzle-witted] Mindless, stupid.

  52 Sons of Temperance] Fraternal order for Protestant men, founded in New York City in 1842. One of the largest temperance organizations, it had chapters throughout the English-speaking world and thrived for half a century.

  53 At midnight. . . hour—”] From “Marco Bozzaris,” by the American poet Fitz-Greene Halleck (1790–1867).

  54 Azurea] Line of fragrance products (perfume, face powder, etc.) by L. T. Piver, Paris.

  55 any. . . north.] See note 24.

  56 valley of the pyramids] In Teotihuacan, 30 miles north of Mexico City.

  57 Oaxaca earthquake] The major earthquake in Oaxaca on January 14, 1931, measured 7.8 on the Richter scale and left 70 percent of the city uninhabitable.

  58 Porfirio Díaz] Díaz (1830–1915), president of Mexico in 1876–80 and 1884–1911, was forced from office by the popular revolution of 1910–11. He died in exile in Paris.

 

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