Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me
Encyclopedia
Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me is a novel
by Richard Fariña
. First published in the United States
during 1966 the novel, based largely on Fariña's college experiences and travels, is a comic picaresque story that is set in the American West, in Cuba
during the Cuban Revolution
, and at an upstate New York university
. The name of the protagonist is Gnossos Pappadopoulis. The book has become something of a cult classic among those who study 1960s or counterculture literature.
Fariña wrote the novel while a student at Cornell University
. His agent, Robert Mills, began advertising it as a work-in-progress to several British publishers during 1963. It was submitted eventually to Random House
company and accepted by them during April 1965. Jim Silberman was the book's editor. Fariña was paid the advance fee of $5,400 for his novel and its release was announced for the autumn of 1965 but was rescheduled for the spring publishing season of April 1966.
On April 30, 1966, two days after the publication of his book, Fariña attended a book-signing ceremony at a Carmel Valley
Village bookstore, the Thunderbird (to be followed the next day by another at the Discovery Bookshop in San Francisco). Later that day, while at a party, he saw a guest with a motorcycle
and went for a ride up Carmel Valley Road east toward Cachagua on the back of the motorcycle. At an S-turn - coincidentally, just above the place on the Carmel River where John Steinbeck set the frog hunt that the Cannery Row denizens perform in the novel "Cannery Row" - the driver lost control. The motorcycle flopped on one side on the right side of the road, came back to the other side and tore through a barbed wire fence into a field where there is now a small vineyard. The driver survived, but Farina was killed instantly.
Thomas Pynchon
, who was good friends with Fariña while they attended Cornell University together, later dedicated his book Gravity's Rainbow
(1973) to him and described Fariña's novel as "coming on like the Hallelujah Chorus done by 200 kazoo
players with perfect pitch... hilarious, chilling, sexy, profound, maniacal, beautiful and outrageous all at the same time," in an introduction to the paperback version of Been Down....
began filming a cinematic adaptation of Fariña's novel on May 25, 1970 with principal photography finished by late July. It was filmed on location at Allegheny College
in Meadville, Pennsylvania
. The movie was directed by Jeffrey Young and featured Barry Primus
(as Gnossos), Linda De Coff and David Downing
. It did not receive good reviews and remains a difficult-to-find home video.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Richard Fariña
Richard Fariña
Richard George Fariña was an American writer and folksinger.-Early years and education:Richard Fariña was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Cuban and Irish descent. He grew up in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn and attended Brooklyn Technical High School...
. First published in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during 1966 the novel, based largely on Fariña's college experiences and travels, is a comic picaresque story that is set in the American West, in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
during the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
, and at an upstate New York university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
. The name of the protagonist is Gnossos Pappadopoulis. The book has become something of a cult classic among those who study 1960s or counterculture literature.
Fariña wrote the novel while a student at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. His agent, Robert Mills, began advertising it as a work-in-progress to several British publishers during 1963. It was submitted eventually to Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
company and accepted by them during April 1965. Jim Silberman was the book's editor. Fariña was paid the advance fee of $5,400 for his novel and its release was announced for the autumn of 1965 but was rescheduled for the spring publishing season of April 1966.
On April 30, 1966, two days after the publication of his book, Fariña attended a book-signing ceremony at a Carmel Valley
Carmel Valley
The Carmel Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Monterey County, California, east of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The AVA is home to a number of wineries and vineyards, as well as the town of Carmel Valley Village...
Village bookstore, the Thunderbird (to be followed the next day by another at the Discovery Bookshop in San Francisco). Later that day, while at a party, he saw a guest with a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
and went for a ride up Carmel Valley Road east toward Cachagua on the back of the motorcycle. At an S-turn - coincidentally, just above the place on the Carmel River where John Steinbeck set the frog hunt that the Cannery Row denizens perform in the novel "Cannery Row" - the driver lost control. The motorcycle flopped on one side on the right side of the road, came back to the other side and tore through a barbed wire fence into a field where there is now a small vineyard. The driver survived, but Farina was killed instantly.
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. For his most praised novel, Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon received the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
, who was good friends with Fariña while they attended Cornell University together, later dedicated his book Gravity's Rainbow
Gravity's Rainbow
Gravity's Rainbow is a postmodern novel written by Thomas Pynchon and first published on February 28, 1973.The narrative is set primarily in Europe at the end of World War II and centers on the design, production and dispatch of V-2 rockets by the German military, and, in particular, the quest...
(1973) to him and described Fariña's novel as "coming on like the Hallelujah Chorus done by 200 kazoo
Kazoo
The kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of mirliton, which is a membranophone, a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane."Kazoo" was the name given by...
players with perfect pitch... hilarious, chilling, sexy, profound, maniacal, beautiful and outrageous all at the same time," in an introduction to the paperback version of Been Down....
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
began filming a cinematic adaptation of Fariña's novel on May 25, 1970 with principal photography finished by late July. It was filmed on location at Allegheny College
Allegheny College
Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville. Founded in 1815, the college has about 2,100 undergraduate students.-Early history:...
in Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city is generally considered part of the Pittsburgh Tri-State and is within 40 miles of Erie, Pennsylvania. It was the first permanent settlement in northwest Pennsylvania...
. The movie was directed by Jeffrey Young and featured Barry Primus
Barry Primus
Barry Primus is an American television and film actor.Primus is primarily an actor, but has also doubled and tripled as writer and director. He worked on stage for the first decade of his career. He gained some experience on TV in shows like The Defenders, East Side/West Side and The Virginian...
(as Gnossos), Linda De Coff and David Downing
David Downing
David Downing is a contemporary British author of mystery novels and nonfiction. His works have been reviewed by Publishers Weekly, the New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He is known for his "convincing" depiction of World War II and Berlin, likely due to his studies and familiarity with...
. It did not receive good reviews and remains a difficult-to-find home video.