Stace, Wesley 1965- (John Wesley Harding)

PERSONAL:

Born October 22, 1965, in Hastings, England; son of Christopher (an educator) and Molly (an opera singer and educator) Stace; married; wife's name Abbey; children: Tilda. Education: Jesus College, Cambridge, B.A.; graduate study in social and political science. Politics: "Imaginative."

ADDRESSES:

Home—Brooklyn, NY. Agent—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 regularly in United Kingdom and United States.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Books to remember, New York Public Library, 2007, editor's choice for book of the year, Booklist, both for by George; book of the year, Washington Post and Boston Phoenix, both for Misfortune.

WRITINGS:

(Under pseudonym 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.

by George (novel), Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to periodicals, including Bomb, Post Road, Creem, Raygun, L.A. Style, Stereophile, Telegraph, Stranger, and Los Angeles Times; his essay, "Listerine: The Life and Opinions of Laurence Sterne," was published in Post Road 5.

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.

Songs of Misfortune, DRT, 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Singer/songwriter and novelist Wesley Stace was born in Hastings, England, the son of two schoolteachers. 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, he went on to record a number of albums under the name John Wesley Harding, including albums with 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 that of 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."

In 2007, Stace released his second novel, by George. The story begins with Echo Endor, a vaudeville performer whose ventriloquist act, which includes a dummy called Naughty Narcissus, is just the first in a long line of entertainments in which her family involves itself generation after generation. Subsequent family members include her son, who has his own ventriloquist act, a granddaughter who acts, and a great grandson who learns to throw his voice before he is out of school. The great grandson, George, shares his name with his own grandfather's dummy, ultimately making for an odd twist to the story, as each George—boy and dummy—takes his turn narrating the story. Stace's book addresses issues of identity, gender, and family ties in a creative, quirky story that received primarily warm reviews from critics, although some found the narrative arc confusing. A contributor for Kirkus Reviews dubbed the book "an unconvincing mishmash." Evelyn Beck, in a review for Library Journal, acknowledged that the segments of the book narrated by George the Dummy required some adjustment and took time to get up to speed, but ultimately she concluded that "this novel is an original, and it ends with a most satisfying revelation." Booklist reviewer Jennifer Baker dubbed by George "a novel that most readers will hate to see end."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2005, Michael Gannon, review of Misfortune, p. 1037; June 1, 2007, Jennifer Baker, review of by George, p. 35.

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; May 1, 2007, review of by George.

Library Journal, December 1, 2004, Barbara Hoffert, review of Misfortune, p. 88; February 1, 2005, Henry L. Carrigan, Jr., review of Misfortune, p. 71; June 1, 2007, Evelyn Beck, review of by George, p. 113.

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

ONLINE

Elle Online,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).

Powell's Books 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).