Saturday, September 22, 2007 1:18 AM CDT
'Gump' author tells Jones link
By LISA BARTELT, Staff Writer
lbartelt@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON — Although he didn’t live to read the finished product, James Jones earned the dedication of Winston Groom’s first book.
Jones offered his help to the first-time novelist in the mid-1970s, only a few years before he would succumb to congestive heart failure.
When Groom came to a problem he couldn’t solve in his writing, he’d call Jones.
“We’d sit around and hash it out,” Groom said, recalling times when they’d sit around Jones’ kitchen table or work from his office in the attic of his house in the Hamptons.
Groom, best known for his novel “Forrest Gump,” shared his memories of Jones Friday night at Miller’s Banquet Facility as the keynote speaker of the Embarras Valley Film Festival. The festival this year highlights Jones’ work, such as “The Thin Red Line,” “From Here to Eternity” and “Some Came Running.”
“I dedicated that book to Jim and I guess if he was looking down, it got some critical praise, and he’d be glad that it wasn’t a total piece of junk,” Groom said of his first novel “Better Times Than These.” “He certainly was a towering figure in World War II literature. He defined an entire generation.”
Groom and Jones were veterans of different wars, but being veterans of war is what gave them an instant connection, said Kaylie Jones, James’ daughter, in introducing Groom.
“Basically what she told you is I’ve written a hell of a lot of books and not a one of them is as good as anything her daddy wrote,” Groom said. “Jim didn’t make friends very quickly. I like to think I’m a little bit of an exception to that.”
The two remained friends until Jones’ death in 1977. A short time before his death, Jones brought his son to Washington, D.C. The two visited Groom in Alexandria, Va., on George Washington’s birthday, a serious holiday in Alexandria, Groom said.
A parade passed in front of Groom’s house, and Jones insisted everyone have a flag to wave during the parade.
“I will never forget, Jim was having the best time,” Groom said. “Memories like that you treasure. They remind you of something long gone.”
The memorial and burial services after Jones died were a “lovely” tribute to the man, Groom said.
Events like the film festival add to that tribute, he said.
“I look back on Jim with such fond memories,” Groom said. “The James Jones Society and symposiums like this, they’re heartwarming because this is the kind of thing needed in American literature. ... He was good enough in what he did. I think he’ll stand up with the best of American writers.”
Contact Lisa Bartelt at lbartelt@jg-tc.com or 238-6858.
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