Rejecting The Godfather Poem by gershon hepner

Alfred Knopf rejected Puzo’s Godfather.
which for a major publisher was odd, rather;
still, if he had been cannier and savvier
he might have had some serious problems with the Mafia.
That’s probably the reason why he chose to ostra-
cize the book. He made his peace with Cosa Nostra,
which everyone with sense, not only Alfred Knopf,
would do, unless of course they’ve got a goyish kop.

An afterthought occurs to me, that’s most ironic.
Once upon a time––I’m being diachronic––
from Princeton, while at Phillips Exeter, rejected,
he was to Jewish fathers far too well connected.
Beleagured by the Ivy League as an imposter,
he was identified as being kosher nostra.
One book he published, “Last of the Just, ” I’ll always cherish,
though I, like all who publish like him, too will perish,



Inspired by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt’s obituary for Alfred A. Knopf, one of the founders of Athenaeum Publishers, who died at the age of 90 on February 14th:
Atheneum got lucky fast. Its first three lists produced three No.1 best sellers: “The Last of the Just” (1960) , a novel about the Holocaust by André Schwarz-Bart; “The Making of the President,1960” (1961) , the first in Theodore H. White’s series on presidential campaigns; and “The Rothschilds: A Family Portrait” (1962) by Frederic Morton. These books were acquired by Mr. Bessie, although by informal understanding each of the founders had to agree on every book the house published. Other projects, if not best sellers, also did well for the house. The first list included Jan de Hartog’s crime novel “The Inspector, ” Wright Morris’s “Ceremony in Lone Tree” and William Goldman’s “Soldier in the Rain.” Atheneum later published Edward Albee’s play “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” (1962) , which sold more than 70,000 copies in hard- and softcover editions. On the other hand, having published Mario Puzo’s second novel, “The Fortunate Pilgrim” (1965) , the house turned down “The Godfather” (published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons in 1969) . Mr. Haydn thought it “junk, ” Mr. Knopf said….
Mr. Knopf was born in White Plains, N.Y., on June 17,1918. At 7 he was sent to boarding school, first at the Riverdale Country Day School, in the Bronx, then from 1933 until 1937 at Phillips Exeter Academy. The summer after he graduated from Exeter, according to a 1959 story in Time magazine, he ran away from home, despondent over being turned down by Princeton and determined (he said in a note) not to return until he made good. Following a police search, he was found in Salt Lake City, “barefoot, hungry and broke.” After attending Union College for three years, he was inspired by the Veronica Lake film “I Wanted Wings” to join the United States Army Air Force, which called him up in December 1941. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his work in the 446th Bomb Group in the Eighth Air Force, rising to the rank of captain. (Union awarded him a B.A. in 1945.)

2/16/09