“Spiegelmania” hit SMU in August of 1971. In his bow tie and suit, Willard Spiegleman talks a bit funny, speaks in complete chapters and gives lectures that are the stuff of legends, according to his former student and director of the DeGolyer Library, Russell Martin.
Spiegleman, in addition to being the Hughes Professor of English at SMU, has also been the editor of the Southwest Review since 1984. Additionally, he contributes to the “Leisure & Arts” page for The Wall Street Journal.
On Thursday, April 30 in the Stanley Marcus Reading Room of the DeGolyer Library, Martin and a packed crowd gathered to hear about Spiegleman’s latest work, “Seven Pleasures: Essays on Ordinary Happiness.” To prepare for his introduction, Martin found himself at the local bookstore in the self-help section.
“It has come to this,” Martin said. “A Wall Street Journal critic and scholar now writes self-help books. Oh, have the mighty fallen.”
But with joking aside, Martin praised Spiegleman’s new work as one that covers all bases of culture, where readers find references to greats like Chaucer and Dickenson.
Spiegelman’s reaction to Martin’s praises: “All I can say is thank you for coming and good night.”
The lecture didn’t end there. Spiegelman outlined the premise of his newest collection of essays and gave the audience a taste of three of his chapters. He wanted to write about ordinary pleasures and happiness, because as people get older pleasure begins to trump duty. For Spiegelman, after 50, it is pleasure all the way.
Spiegelman chose seven pleasures, because many other things come in seven. There are the seven deadly sins, seven heavenly virtues and most of all the seven dwarfs, Spiegleman said. Each chapter focuses on a new pleasure, beginning with reading, then walking, looking, dancing, listening, swimming and writing.
He is often asked why he chose those seven, or why didn’t he write about eating or sex. While Spiegelman professed his love for both, he said many people have already written about those two topics and have written them better. Additionally, he wanted to write his book about things people can do alone.
He wrote first about dancing, walking and swimming – finding that as he aged he wanted to learn something new that was an activity for his body, mind and spirit. After that, he chose to write about reading. He wanted it to be the first chapter in his novel, because it was the first thing he did as a child.
In concluding his lecture, Spiegelman talked of his father’s inherent sanguinity or cheerfulness, which inspired him to dedicate the book to him and a novelist friend, who taught him about happiness.
He also mentioned his book’s rank on Amazon.com after The Wall Street Journal review was published.
“The Amazon ranking rose,” Spiegelman said. “I’m No. 1 in the category of essays and emotions. What this means is that 50 people bought my book.”
Spiegelman’s intellectual wittiness and innate cheerfulness are the reason why “Spiegelmania” still exists today, after 38 years on the Hilltop.
