Quickly (4 April 1956)
The Village Voice, 4 April 1956; transcription provided by Jerry Lucas; proofread against the source 2026-06-01.
Column Thirteen
LETTER TO THE VOICE
I do not admire your column. But I shall in a constructive spirit offer a few words of criticism.
You take up 98 per cent of the column talking about yourself. Very wrong.
The pronoun “I” occurs 26 times, “me” 5 times, “my” 8 times, “I’m” 3 times, “I’ll” one time. Total times of reference to yourself: 43. Anyone who did not know what a swell guy you are might think you were in love with yourself …
Why don’t you have a little favorable review of some one of the multitude who never get their names in print—but without having recourse to that patronizing air of a great man condescending to say something nice about one of the “common herd.” These “common men and women” feel very deeply about such things and can be made lifelong friends. If you do not think you need friends, there is no sense in talking to you at all. Yours,
— Karl L. Ekstrand
Queens Village, New York
REPLY
Dear Mr. Ekstrand: I really do have a poor character. Wouldn’t it be dishonest and a fraud on the public, as well as deeply un-American, to present myself as better than I am? Let others profit by my unseemly self-absorption, and so look to improve their own characters.
N.M.