Lapham's Quarterly recently ran an interesting chart detailing the day jobs enjoyed (or endured) by a few famous authors. It's worth a look:
It's a pretty odd assortment, to be sure. But it got me thinking about day jobs in general. There are a handful of professions that seem to creep up in the bios of a lot of famous authors. I think I may just do a series on some of the most common ones. Stay tuned...
In the meantime, what's the craziest day job you've ever held? Shelf Actualizer Orlando and I once served as hot-dog, nacho and churro mongers in a municipal swimming pool snack shop. Yep. I have lived the dream.
There are 2 glaring omissions from this list:
ReplyDelete1) Kerouac worked as a railroad brakesman, and a fire lookout.
2) Hemingway's first gig was as a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star.
I've sold magazines over the phone for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Does that count for anything?
I too have sold magazines over the phone for MADD. The only difference between Tucker and me is that I was on the Platinum Team.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is as prestigious as it sounds.