In addition to the spectacularly blocked Bart, Barton Fink also features an addict writer who can’t write, John Mahoney’s Bill Mayhew (a composite of Fitzgerald and Faulkner). Here Barton is arguing with Tony Shalhoub’s producer character, Ben Geisler, about Mayhew. It’s a funny exchange, but also, I think goes to the heart of my argument – that block can be creatively freeing (à la “I’m going to write myself into the script I’m adapting!”), while addiction is a creative dead-end – the writer as defined by addiction alone.
Ben: I thought you were going to consult another writer on this.
Barton: I’ve talked with Bill Mayhew.
Ben: Bill Mayhew? Some help. He’s a souse!
Barton: He’s a great writer.
Ben: A great souse.
Barton: You don’t understand–
Ben: Souse!
Barton: –his pain because he can’t write–
Ben: Souse! Souse!
This article appears in October 10 • 2008.
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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...
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