Stace, Wesley 1965–

(John Wesley Harding, Wesley Harding Stace)

PERSONAL: Born October 22, 1965, in Hastings, England; son of Christopher (an educator) and Molly (an opera singer and educator) Townson. Education: Jesus' College, Cambridge, B.A.; graduate study in political and social theory. Politics: "Imaginative" Religion: Methodist, but "all the gods are in Hollywood."

ADDRESSES: Home—Brooklyn, NY. Agent—c/o Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, William Morris Agency, 1325 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019. E-mail—Wesley@wesleystace.com.

CAREER: Musician and novelist. Folk musician, recording and touring as opening act in United Kingdom and United States.

WRITINGS:

(As John Wesley Harding) Collected Stories: 1990–1991 (song lyrics), Warner Brothers, 1991.

(Author of introduction) Charles Dickens, The Haunted House, Modern Library (New York, NY), 2004.

Misfortune (novel), Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor to periodicals, including Bomb, Post Road, Creem, Raygun, L.A. Style, Stereophile, Telegraph, Stranger and Los Angeles Times.

SOUND RECORDINGS; LYRICIST UNDER NAME JOHN WESLEY HARDING

It Happened One Night, Demon Records, 1988.

God Made Me Do It: The Christmas LP, Sire/Reprise, 1989.

Here Comes the Groom, Sire/Reprise, 1990.

Just Say Da (compilation) Sire/Reprise, 1990.

Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye (compilation), Sire/Reprise, 1990.

The Name above the Title, Sire/Reprise, 1990.

Just Say Anything (compilation), Sire/Reprise, 1991.

Why We Fight, Sire/Reprise, 1992.

John Wesley Harding's New Deal, Rhino, 1996.

Awake (reissue), Appleseed, 1998.

Trad Arr Jones (reissue), Appleseed, 1999.

Confessions of St. Ace, Mammoth, 2000.

Adam's Apple, DRT, 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Singer/songwriter and novelist Wesley Stace was born in Hastings, England, the son of two school teachers. Stace inherited his musical talent from his mother, who started her career as an opera singer, though his own interests ran to folk rock. After studying English at Jesus' College, Cambridge, under the name John Wesley Harding, he went on to record a number of albums with artists from various bands, including the bassist and drummer from the Attractions, Elvis Costello's group. He later collaborated with several other artists, including Bruce Springsteen and Iggy Pop. Critics compared his music to both Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan, and Stace himself credits both Dylan and Joan Baez as influences. Stace released a volume of lyrics, Collected Stories: 1990–1991, in 1991.

Misfortune, Stace's first novel, is based on the lyrics to his song, "Miss Fortune." The book is about a middle-aged man who, lacking an heir, takes in an abandoned baby girl he finds on the streets of London while he is out for a carriage ride. The girl reminds him of his own sister, who has died, and he determines she will be his daughter. However, the baby is actually a boy. Reminiscent of the sprawling Victorian-era novels of Charles Dickens and Anthony Trollope, the book examines what happens to the child, Rose, as it grows to maturity. In an interview with Dave Weich for Powells.com, Stace explained his approach to writing the book: "I tried to make one of those novels that tell a whole story and create a whole world, a bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story—but with a subject matter they couldn't have written about in the nineteenth century. That was my initial idea, after I'd written the song." Stace's novel differs from that of the authors who influenced him, however, as he takes a contemporary approach to his work, despite the period setting. As Stace told Weich: "I determined very early on not to have it be a pastiche of nineteenth century literature; I wanted it to be a modern novel set in the past. It's narrated in 1918, which is basically modern."

Laura Miller, in a review for Salon.com, wrote that "for the many readers who don't care about the proper allocation of periwigs and hansom cabs, Stace has concocted a big, cheesy amusement completely unafraid to resort to the most outrageous stunts and caricatures to hold their attention. Historically, it's about as unreliable as one of Stace's beloved ballads, but on the upside, as a pastime, it's also as fun." A contributor for Publishers Weekly remarked that "Rose's original narrative voice is engaging from the get-go: smart, funny, observant, and even hip." Reporting for the London Guardian, Colin Greenland noted of Stace that "there is something musical, almost symphonic, about the sweep of his novel, its single-minded pursuit of themes through sections strongly distinct in mood and approach." In an article for Kirkus Reviews, a contributor stated that the book's "abundant cleverness sometimes slips into preciousness, but the narrative is full of surprises," concluding that it is "a most promising debut."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2005, Michael Gannon, review of Misfortune, p. 1037.

Bookseller, February 4, 2005, review of Misfortune, p. 30.

Entertainment Weekly, April 15, 2005, Gilbert Cruz, "Double the Fun: The Cult Folksinger Takes Back His Birth Name," review of Misfortune, p. 84.

Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2005, review of Misfortune, p. 19.

Library Journal, December 1, 2004, Barbara Hoffert, review of Misfortune, p. 88; February 1, 2005, Henry L. Carrigan, Jr., review of Misfortune, p. 71.

Publishers Weekly, January 24, 2005, Suzanne Mantell, review of Misfortune, p. 113; January 31, 2005, review of Misfortune, p. 47.

ONLINE

Elle Web site, http://www.elle.com/ (July 10, 2005), "Wesley Stace."

Guardian Online, http://books.guardian.co.uk/ (July 10, 2005), "Wesley Stace."

John Wesley Harding Home Page, http://www.johnwesleyharding.com (July 10, 2005).

Powells Web site, http://www.powells.com/ (July 10, 2005), "Wesley Stace."

Salon.com, http://www.salon.com/ (July 10, 2005), "Wesley Stace."

Washington Post Online, http://www.washingtonpost.com/ (July 10, 2005), "Wesley Stace."

Wesley Stace Home Page, http://www.wesleystace.com (July 10, 2005).