When| one day of 1929,| writer Thomas Wolfe| decided to keep the appointment made by Max Perkins,| editor at Scribner's.| hHe had no illusions: his manuscript would be
turned down as had invariably been the case. But|, to his happy amazement|, his novel,| which was to become "Look Homeward,| Angel,"| was accepted for publication. The
only trouble was that it was overly long (5|000 pages) and had to be reduced. Although reluctant to see his poetic prose trimmed,| Wolfe agreed and was helped by Perkins,|
who had become a true friend|.
They|managed to cut 90|000 words from the book,| with the result that it instantly became a favorite with the critics and best seller.
Success was even greater in 1935, when "Of Time end the River" appeared,| but the fight for reducing Wolfe's logorrheic written expression had been even longer (over
two years) and bitterness ultimately taking its toll|; the relationships between the two men gradually deteriorating. Wolfe did not feel grateful to Perkins any longer,
but had started ...