THE SKY CHANGES (1966)
HILL & WANG
Cover Photograph: Robert Frank
From Gilbert Sorrentino: A Descriptive Bibliography, by William McPheron: "When GS completed [The Sky Changes], he had no literary agent, but through his friendship with Hubert Selby, Jr., he knew the journalist Seymour Krim. Krim asked to read SC in manuscript and was so impressed that he volunteered to act as GS's agent...(Publisher Arthur) Wang's commitment to SC prompted an early promotional campaign for the book, with advertisements in the New York Times Book Review and the New York Review of Books. His enthusiasm was increased further when Time informed him of its intention to run a favorable review, accompanied by a picture of GS to be taken by one of the magazine's own photographers. A very positive review was, in fact, filed with Time, and the photographs of GS duly taken, but the coverage was killed. Time refused to explain its motives to Wang, after which he lost interest in SC and dropped his other promotional plans. Eventual sales were poor."
After The Sky Changes fell out of print, Sorrentino revised the novel -- the only time he would revise one of his previously published novels -- adding two sections, heavily revising others, and making minor changes elsewhere. The revised edition is the one currently available through Dalkey Archive Press.
Order the current edition from Bookshop
Indiebound
Amazon
Back to Books
HILL & WANG
Cover Photograph: Robert Frank
From Gilbert Sorrentino: A Descriptive Bibliography, by William McPheron: "When GS completed [The Sky Changes], he had no literary agent, but through his friendship with Hubert Selby, Jr., he knew the journalist Seymour Krim. Krim asked to read SC in manuscript and was so impressed that he volunteered to act as GS's agent...(Publisher Arthur) Wang's commitment to SC prompted an early promotional campaign for the book, with advertisements in the New York Times Book Review and the New York Review of Books. His enthusiasm was increased further when Time informed him of its intention to run a favorable review, accompanied by a picture of GS to be taken by one of the magazine's own photographers. A very positive review was, in fact, filed with Time, and the photographs of GS duly taken, but the coverage was killed. Time refused to explain its motives to Wang, after which he lost interest in SC and dropped his other promotional plans. Eventual sales were poor."
After The Sky Changes fell out of print, Sorrentino revised the novel -- the only time he would revise one of his previously published novels -- adding two sections, heavily revising others, and making minor changes elsewhere. The revised edition is the one currently available through Dalkey Archive Press.
Order the current edition from Bookshop
Indiebound
Amazon
Back to Books