Today in Wheeling History: May 4--The New York Times publishes a book review of Wheeling native Keith Maillard's book "The Clarinet Polka" (2003).
Keith Maillard's novel "The Clarinet Polka" received a review in The New York Times on May 4, 2003. In her review, Etelka Lehoczky noted that Maillard's Raysburg novels are "marked by a kind of moral nostalgia" and that his fictional West Virginia steel town retains "a halo as tangible as the iron ore dust that collects on every stoop." The novel tells the story of Jimmy Koprowski, a 25-year-old recently discharged from the Air Force who returns to his blue-collar Polish-American hometown in 1969. Jimmy struggles to rebuild his life, drifting into a destructive affair with a married woman until his sister Linda starts an all-female polka band. He then falls for the band's star clarinetist, Janice, whose life is haunted by tragic events from before her birth. Lehoczky praised Maillard's "seamless" connections between Jimmy's personal journey, his family's fortunes, and the broader struggle of old-country Poles to retain their heritage, noting his prose is "often as buoyant as the polka music he describes."
Born in Wheeling on February 28, 1942, Maillard grew up on Front Street on Wheeling Island. Raysburg is a thinly disguised version of Wheeling, sharing recognizable landmarks including a large populated island in the Ohio River, a steel industry base, and features like the Suspension Bridge, National Road, and Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Maillard created this fictional setting to explore Wheeling's history while maintaining creative freedom.
Despite financial challenges in his single-parent household after his parents divorced, Maillard attended Madison Elementary School and later received a scholarship to the Linsly Military Institute, graduating with honors in 1960. In 1970, he emigrated to Canada and became a Canadian citizen in 1976. He was not eligible for the draft and was a war resister rather than a draft dodger. In 2004, he was inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame for his significant literary achievements.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/45fjpvxj); New York Times (https://tinyurl.com/2p9n888w), Amazon (https://tinyurl.com/27ys38hj), City of Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/yat99wbp), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/2ehczbvv), Website of Author Keith Maillard (https://tinyurl.com/43uscnc9), Kirkus Reviews (https://tinyurl.com/yaazwe6e), Goodreads (https://tinyurl.com/7fkyp6s8)
Photo credits: Wheeling Hall of Fame via Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons, Goodreads
Keith Maillard's novel "The Clarinet Polka" received a review in The New York Times on May 4, 2003. In her review, Etelka Lehoczky noted that Maillard's Raysburg novels are "marked by a kind of moral nostalgia" and that his fictional West Virginia steel town retains "a halo as tangible as the iron ore dust that collects on every stoop." The novel tells the story of Jimmy Koprowski, a 25-year-old recently discharged from the Air Force who returns to his blue-collar Polish-American hometown in 1969. Jimmy struggles to rebuild his life, drifting into a destructive affair with a married woman until his sister Linda starts an all-female polka band. He then falls for the band's star clarinetist, Janice, whose life is haunted by tragic events from before her birth. Lehoczky praised Maillard's "seamless" connections between Jimmy's personal journey, his family's fortunes, and the broader struggle of old-country Poles to retain their heritage, noting his prose is "often as buoyant as the polka music he describes."
Born in Wheeling on February 28, 1942, Maillard grew up on Front Street on Wheeling Island. Raysburg is a thinly disguised version of Wheeling, sharing recognizable landmarks including a large populated island in the Ohio River, a steel industry base, and features like the Suspension Bridge, National Road, and Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Maillard created this fictional setting to explore Wheeling's history while maintaining creative freedom.
Despite financial challenges in his single-parent household after his parents divorced, Maillard attended Madison Elementary School and later received a scholarship to the Linsly Military Institute, graduating with honors in 1960. In 1970, he emigrated to Canada and became a Canadian citizen in 1976. He was not eligible for the draft and was a war resister rather than a draft dodger. In 2004, he was inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame for his significant literary achievements.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/45fjpvxj); New York Times (https://tinyurl.com/2p9n888w), Amazon (https://tinyurl.com/27ys38hj), City of Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/yat99wbp), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/2ehczbvv), Website of Author Keith Maillard (https://tinyurl.com/43uscnc9), Kirkus Reviews (https://tinyurl.com/yaazwe6e), Goodreads (https://tinyurl.com/7fkyp6s8)
Photo credits: Wheeling Hall of Fame via Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons, Goodreads
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