A Dream of Blood
Can’t resist one more quote from Charles Portis’ “The Dog of the South:”
Ray is describing his runaway wife Norma’s recounting of her time with mad Guy Dupree. She & Guy take up with the famous radicals Hilda Monod and Jay Bomarr. They attend a radical gathering in San Miguel Allende, Mexico:
Jay Bomarr opened it with his famous speech, “Come Dream Along With Me.” I had heard it myself, at Ole Miss of all places, back in the days when Jay was drawing big crowds. It was a dream of blood and smashed faces, with a lot of talk about “the people,” whose historic duty it was to become a nameless herd and submit their lives to the absolute control of a small pack of wily and vicious intellectuals. Norma said it went over fairly well with the young Americans and Canadians, judging from the applause. No Mexicans came except for the professor who was chairman of the thing.
Wonderful book, with laughs on nearly every page. I think my initial impression, that Ray is Ignatius Reilly with slightly better prospects was unfair. Ray is kind of heroic in his kindness and willingness to go out of his way for people he admits he doesn’t think much of.
