An Unforgettable Voice
Bette Howland excelled as a writer and literary critic in Chicago, displaying a unique genius in her prose that captivated readers with ironic rawness. Despite having been forgotten, his work remains essential reading.
A Life Marked by Poverty and Genius
Born in 1937 in Chicago, Bette Howland lived a life marked by poverty and exceptional genius. Despite the difficulties, he entered the University of Chicago at the age of 15 and married young, having two children before separating. His personal experience influenced his literary work, as reflected in his book ‘Module 3’.
A Portrait of Despair and Overcoming
At the age of 31, Bette Howland found herself raising her children alone in a hostile and icy Chicago. After a moment of despair, he wrote ‘Module 3’, a work that captured his experience in a psychiatric hospital and was relieved by its rawness and sincerity. This work, published in Catalan in 2022, offers an extraordinary portrait of the community that accompanied him at that time.
The Revival of Howland’s Work
After being forgotten for years, Bette Howland’s work was resurrected by Brigid Hughes, a New York publisher. Hughes restored Howland’s work to the American literary canon, founding the publishing house A Public Space Books to publish his works. This resurgence has allowed his novels to reach new readers, offering a raw, ironic and unapologetic view of mid-20th century American life.
An incisive and committed voice
Bette Howland wrote about the everyday lives of the marginalized and the underprivileged, exposing the seams of American life with elegance and humor. His work highlights poverty and social contradictions, offering an incisive view of reality. Through his prose, Howland reflects on the dissolution of Jewish precepts and the impassable space between identity and reality.
