My Face for the World to See • Alfred Hayes

I almost missed this newly translated book by Alfred Hayes. I regularly browse the website of Hanser Verlag, especially the classics section. Strangely enough, My Face for the World to See isn’t listed there. In the end, though, nothing slips past me—and since I was already very enthusiastic about In Love, which came out last year, I was all the more delighted about this new release. The 1950s, New York and Hollywood, a love story, and a handsome edition—those are elements that immediately win me over, and once again my expectations were fully met.

Somehow the America of the first half of the 20th century has something nostalgic, romantic, and exciting about it—the aura for which this country, with its boundless opportunities, once stood. Of course, this rose-tinted look at the past, with all its romance, doesn’t reflect reality. But as a setting for a novel, that feeling is perfect, and so the whole story carries, from the outset, what the flap copy of In Love aptly calls “the smoky, melancholic tone of a Miles Davis piece.”

A married, successful, and well-paid screenwriter travels alone to Hollywood on business for four months. There, he meets a young woman who has so far failed to launch an acting career. A liaison begins to take shape, and Hayes is simply an artist at portraying this process of getting to know one another and packaging it in a highly entertaining way. The dialogue is consistently excellent, and the images of the two main characters build slowly, revealing two people who are neither perfect nor bad. They feel authentic and real, show strengths and weaknesses, are shaped by their backstories, and come across as entirely believable in their conflicts, reactions, and desires.

Hayes tells the story in the first person from the perspective of the somewhat older screenwriter, who, like the young woman, remains nameless. This creates an intimacy that allows a very close look at both characters. The reader learns everything through dialogue and action, reflected through the protagonist’s impressions and thoughts, which are sometimes examined more closely in his mind. Hayes moves quickly and frequently between direct and indirect speech, often compressing conversations and presenting only the decisive exchanges verbatim. The chapters are often very short, which creates a brisk pace that is nonetheless very pleasant to read and makes the book highly entertaining. I found it very hard to put down.

Alfred Hayes was born in London in 1911, studied in New York, worked briefly as a journalist, and then went to Italy during the Second World War, where he eventually wrote screenplays for Italian films. He apparently contributed to several better-known movies and died in California in 1985. In Love already reminded me of those old feature films and melodramas—though I don’t really have clear memories of those old pictures. In terms of style, however—with the crisp prose, lively dialogue, and vivid, economical descriptions—I often felt as if I were watching a film.

The book is both a love story and, of course, a portrait of Hollywood, with a clearly resonant critique of society and the way it treats people: the relentless pursuit of fame, the ways young women were exploited—and how they sometimes destroyed themselves with extravagant expectations. Hayes succeeds in bridging the individual fates of the two protagonists and a broader social view. Despite its brevity, the novel has a resonance and emotional impact that would usually belong to a work twice its length.

I’m once again very taken with the Hanser edition. It’s a high-quality, beautifully designed book that exudes the 1950s vibe—that smokiness, that somehow old-fashioned yet modern feel—both from the cover and the chosen typeface. Sadly, at just 144 pages, it’s far too brief a pleasure.

Conclusion: With My Face for the World to See, Hanser presents a second excellently executed new edition of Alfred Hayes. The 1950s atmosphere—the smoky, decadent, melancholic, and lost lives—the imperfect yet wonderfully evocative portrait of a love story: all of it adds up to a superb novel. With its rapid-fire dialogue, clear prose, and meaningful story, it’s a reading delight that, unfortunately, is over far too quickly due to its modest length. A book I can highly recommend. Much as with the new editions of Gaito Gazdanov, I very much hope Hanser continues down this path.

Book information: My Face for the World to See • Alfred Hayes • Verlag Nagel & Kimche AG • 144 pages • ISBN 9783312009978