Selby, Hubert, Jr.

▪ 2005

“Cubby” 

      American writer (b. July 23, 1928, Brooklyn, N.Y.—d. April 26, 2004, Los Angeles, Calif.), showcased the dark underside of American urban life in his debut novel, Last Exit to Brooklyn (1964). Selby lacked formal training as a writer, but his unstructured style and coarse language helped to accurately convey the bleak, violent world he observed as a youth. After the U.S. entered World War II, he dropped out of school to follow his father into the merchant marine. Although he was only 15 at the time, he was able to persuade recruiters to allow him to join. While at sea in 1947, Selby contracted tuberculosis and was told that he had less than a year to live. An experimental drug treatment and the removal of 10 ribs saved his life, but more than a year of recuperation left him with an addiction to painkillers that took decades to overcome. A childhood friend encouraged him to use writing as an outlet, and in 1961 Selby's short story Tralala was published in The Provincetown Review. The story was a brutal examination of the life of a waterfront prostitute, and it drew condemnation from a number of circles. When Selby included it with five other stories in his novel Last Exit to Brooklyn, it was the target of obscenity charges on both sides of the Atlantic. His stark, unforgiving view of the world was equally apparent in later works, such as The Room (1971), The Demon (1976), and Requiem for a Dream (1978). His output slowed in later years, but he returned to prominence when he co-wrote the screenplay for Darren Aronofsky's film adaptation Requiem for a Dream (2000).

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