ON OCTOBER 12, 2013, Oscar died of a massive heart attack while playing tennis in New York City’s Riverside Park. That day my world came to a stop, as it did for all who loved him. He was not only a remarkably gifted man and a supremely talented novelist but the most soulful person I have ever known. And the sweetest. We were a double helix; my life is only “a half” now. And the world, as noted by journalists and writers around the globe, is a poorer place without his physical presence.
In the months following Oscar’s death, I was in too much pain to think about the rituals of daily life or professional obligations, but gradually I summoned the resolve to seek a publisher for Twain & Stanley Enter Paradise with the help of my agent, Jennifer Lyons. (The one and only extant copy of the manuscript was found on top of several boxes of related material in my husband’s study.) It has been edited with loving attention and acumen by Gretchen Young. To the entire team at Grand Central Publishing, I say, “Thank you from my heart for the care, intelligence, and passion you have put into its publication.” Oscar would be so very grateful to you.
— July 2014
Reading Group Guide Questions for Discussion
1. Stanley and Clemens came from very different backgrounds and held differing, and often contrasting, beliefs. What do you think bonded them together?
2. Why was Stanley so keen to have Henry Hope Stanley adopt him? What does this longing say about the notion of family? Why do you think Stanley was so secretive about the “truth”?
3. Throughout their lives Samuel Clemens and Henry Morton Stanley experienced some form of a rebirth. Do you think they felt completeness in their lives and careers as a result of this rebirth? What does their trajectory say about namesakes and identity?
4. Samuel, Henry, and Dorothy all wrote diligently, whether it was through private correspondence, through journals, or through fiction. How do you think the writing process changed them and their outlook? Do you find a similar catharsis in writing?
5. Discuss the parallels between the relationships of Dorothy and Stanley and Livy and Clemens. How did these similarities bring them together?
6. Both Samuel and Henry were very open and honest during Dorothy’s portrait sittings. How did her portrait process help or hinder her relationship with each of them? What do their revelations say about them?
7. How did Clemens and Stanley’s perspectives on slavery change throughout their friendship? Did they ever come to terms with their treatment of others? Do you think, as Samuel said, they were both just a product of the times? Why or why not?
8. Though both Stanley and Clemens achieved unbounded success, they often felt like outsiders within their circles. How did this need for belonging and acceptance influence their decision-making and outlook?
9. How do you think fame influenced Samuel Clemens and Henry Morton Stanley? Do you think their relationship prospered from it? Was there perhaps any jealousy? Why or why not?
10. In the end, what were Stanley’s religious beliefs? What does “The Cabinet Manuscript” and the truth behind it reveal about his beliefs? Why was Samuel so interested in other’s beliefs even though he himself wasn’t particularly religious?
11. Why do you think Dorothy was so attracted to spiritualism? What does Stanley and Samuel’s ambivalence toward spiritualism reveal about their relationship with her? How did their beliefs help each of them during times of grief?
12. During his last portrait sitting, Samuel debated what and how much to tell Dorothy about “The Cabinet Manuscript.” Do you think he was open and honest with her? Is it important for her to know the whole truth one way or the other?
13. Dorothy ultimately decided to leave out Henry and Samuel’s journey to Cuba in The Autobiography of Sir Henry Morton Stanley. Why do you believe she did this? Why did she diminish their friendship in his memoir altogether? Do you think she respected their wishes in the end? Why or why not?
A Conversation with Lori Marie Carlson-Hijuelos
Q. You watched as your husband, Oscar Hijuelos, worked on this novel for more than ten years. What inspired him to write TWAIN & STANLEY ENTER PARADISE?
One afternoon in Branford, Connecticut, where we have a small summer home, Oscar mentioned to me that he had come across an intriguing reference about Henry Morton Stanley in a book about the explorer’s life. The author of the biography surmised that Stanley had made a journey to Cuba to find his missing, adoptive father. (Since his teens, Oscar had been interested in the life of Stanley. So he had been reading about him for a long time.) He also happened upon a footnote that indicated that Stanley had been a comrade of Mark Twain’s. But Oscar could find absolutely no information about their friendship, other than a mention or two in histories that he picked up in old bookstores. I think he was very intrigued about this meeting of minds and hearts because while Twain and Stanley shared many values and convictions they were also opposites. He decided to explore the unknown canvas of their friendship because it seemed like an incredibly rich writing adventure.
Q. It’s obvious that Oscar had an affinity for Mark Twain and his writings. Were there any other books or authors that influenced his writing of TWAIN & STANLEY ENTER PARADISE?
He read the Bible as he wrote the novel. And he was constantly reading histories about both men, as well as Dorothy Tennant’s life. And he listened to classical music, always, as he wrote.
Q. TWAIN & STANLEY ENTER PARADISE interweaves correspondence, stories, and several locales of real figures from history. How did Oscar go about researching this book?
Oscar, no matter where he was — whether in a cab, a restaurant, the barbershop, or visiting a friend — always had a book in hand. He read voraciously. For this novel, he purchased hundreds of texts about Twain, Stanley, Lady Stanley, Wales, Cuba, New Orleans, etc. He bought materials from rare book dealers and old bookshops in Europe and the U.S., and he made purchases of documents online. He found pictures of the orphanage, for instance, where Stanley spent a part of his youth. He bought maps. He went to art exhibits. We went on research trips abroad. Basically, you could say that he created a context — from his intuition, intellectual leanings, and readings — into which he poured his imagination.
Q. The theme of self-identity was always prominent throughout Oscar’s works. How would you say his approach to the subject was different in TWAIN & STANELY ENTER PARADISE?
I really don’t think it was different. Oscar worked on this novel in the same manner that he approached all of his works. His was an investigative/creative process that melded extensive research with travel, voluminous reading, his own dreams, and incredibly long hours of writing at his desk without breaks of any kind.
Q. You had an active role in editing and revising TWAIN & STANLEY ENTER PARADISE. What specifically did you want to bring out in Oscar’s writing and the plot? Did you notice anything different about Oscar’s writing when you took on this role?
I line edited this novel at a certain point. It required that I spend 13 hours each day for an extensive period of time. Because I knew Oscar so well — his voice, his way of thinking, his muscular disposition as well as his extraordinary ear for delicacy and tone — I let myself sink into each page of the work. It was a sacred and excruciating experience for me. I felt his presence. I felt his support. The story was very big. The writing was orchestral. I needed to respect that totally, but I also knew it needed to be cut. The manuscript went from nearly 900 pages to just under 500. We had discussed this, the two of us, as he was writing the novel…how in the end it would need to be reduced to a reader-friendly size. Basically, I listened to Oscar on the page. I can’t think of any other way to put it.