
As would almost be expected, on the outside of the 2004 book there is no indication that this book is a few decades old. Probably sold more copies that way. I object to that sort of thing, but I presume the book might not have been re-issued at all without that sort of compromise. That probably also explains why the cover art looks much too contemporary.
“
Memory of a Muted Trumpet” (1960) tells the story of drop-outs living in a New York apartment, not far from Greenwich Village. They are young bohemians having parties, providing each other with company, looking for sex, bragging about drugs. They’re always looking for new faces, new acquaintances, people to join them. Their minds are in various states of consciousness. One of the characters, a young Jewish writer, sees a girl at one of the parties and makes her his own.
Harlan presents another facet of the life he experienced in New York apart from the gangs. The lifestyle portrayed in this story looks comparably harmless on the surface, but it still exacts its price from those who participate, and one gets the impression that some of the men and women (or girls) are on their way into deep trouble. In the course of the story, a crime is committed that passes unnoticed, though it leaves internal scars. Harlan writes without judgment, more like a reporter, until he finally brings the crime back into focus near the end in a chilling sort of way that’s easy to overlook. What’s missing is what usually makes a good story, like interesting characters and dramatic conflicts that help get the message across. It almost feels like Harlan wrote this for display in a museum of American culture. It may be a bit too accurate for its own good.
At the same time, it's probably less far removed from what other writers were doing at the time than most of what Harlan had been writing. Perhaps, if Harlan had continued this for a while, people would probably have noticed and discovered him, and the readers he'd have had would probably not be too enthusiastic about what we consider Harlan's best work.
