Chapter 1 from Haruki Murakami’s Borders Near And Far
In the fall of 1991 I was asked to write about the East Hamptons for a credit card promotional publication. It just so happened I was running in the New York Marathon that year so I decided to accept. I was accompanied by the photographer Eizo Matsumura. If you’re looking for my personal take on East Hampton, I’d never want to live in a community of writers, whether that’s in America, Japan, or anywhere else.
When I told people in the publishing world that I was going to East Hampton they’d tell me that I simply had to meet up with such-and-such an author acquaintance of theirs. Julian, who works in advertising, name dropped Tom Wolfe, David Leavitt, and E. L. Doctorow. Linda Asher, editor at The New Yorker, brought up Kurt Vonnegut. Julian and Linda are both New Yorkers but they have homes in the Hamptons and know these writers because they’re neighbors. (Unfortunately I wasn’t able to meet up with Vonnegut, Doctorow, or Leavitt. Tom Wolfe and I arranged to meet in New York sometime soon.)
For people in the literary world, East Hampton is Nirvana. Ok, that’s a bit of an overstatement. A whole bunch of authors have homes here. And this goes without saying (the real estate is incredibly expensive), but the majority of them have already achieved success. East Hampton loves a successful writer, and successful writers love East Hampton. It’s become a sort of expedient Nirvana for American authors.
The Japanese version of a ritzy summer retreat adored and populated by successful writers would be Karuizawa or Kamakura. But if you actually spent time in those places you’d find that East Hampton outclasses Karuizama and Kamakura combined, by at least a factor of two, in beauty, size, and grandeur. There’s no competing with the overwhelming wealth of America.
East Hampton is located on the east side of Long Island exactly 100 miles from New York. You can drive there from the city in just under two hours. Or, if you’ve got too much money lying around, you can charter a helicopter and get there in half an hour. Even richer? Take your private jet. Writers don’t have that kind of wealth so most make the trip by car. They’ll travel to their apartments in New York City to take care of business and then return to East Hampton to write at a more relaxed pace. That’s the pattern for most of the writers here. When I met up the author John Irving in New York a while ago, he told me that he listens to Dickens novels on audiotape on his drive. He explained that there’s nothing better than passing the time on the road with something equally as long to listen to. Unfortunately he has since moved to Canada (America didn’t suit him), and his East Hampton house was on the market. “Well, Murakami, maybe you’d be interested in buying?” Julian joked.
Famous writers aren’t the only people with homes in the Hamptons. Other famous homeowners include Ralph Lauren, Steven Spielberg, Billy Joel, Calvin Klein, Robert De Niro… too many to name.
There are plenty of the rich and famous in East Hampton, but they live in the city most of the time and only come out here for the summer (when they can go swimming in peace at their private beaches), Thanksgiving, Christmas, or the occasional weekend getaway. When summer comes to a close and the leaves begin to fall, only the locals remain behind. Them and the writers, who need only a typewriter or computer and otherwise could be anywhere in the world to work.
“It’s a wonderful cycle,” Peter Sweat, a local writer, told me. “Half the year this place is overflowing with people. There are parties, people are always coming and going, the place is full of life. Just when it’s getting to be too much, we hit fall. They all go back to the city. We’re left behind, free to work in peace. Nobody bothers you. And just when that gets boring and you want a little action around here, it’s May again! Isn’t that just perfect for writers?”
Once every two weeks there a writer’s meeting in West Hampton. It’s called a “meeting” but there’s no special agenda. It’s just an excuse to get together, have some drinks, eat, and catch up. “Oh, there’re all types of writers there,” Peter told me. “Budd Schulberg (screenwriter and author of The Disenchanted, a novel based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life), Pete Hamill (who recently moved away), Datson Rader, and a bunch more. We’ve got another one tomorrow night, you should come by!” But unfortunately I had to leave for New York the following morning so I couldn’t make it.
Twenty minutes to the north by car sits Sag Harbor, a little town on the water. It’s home to Thomas Harris (Silence Of The Lambs), Doctorow, and Pintaro. Nelson Algren (A Walk On The Wild Side, The Man With The Golden Arm) used to live there too. Mr. Canio, owner of Canio’s Books in Sag Harbor, shared a great story about Algren:
“Eleven years ago, the day of our grand opening, an old man came in and glared at my store with a scowl. That was Algren. ‘You call this a book store? I’ve got more books in my bedroom,’ he told me in a huff as he left . Three days later he returned with more books than he could carry. Then he tells me, ‘Put these out for sale.’ He’s was a good guy – a no-nonsense Chicago native with no social graces and a fowl mouth. But he was kind at heart.”
At the time Algren was a forgotten writer. Young readers didn’t give his books a chance. He lived like a hermit in Sag Harbor, a town long past its glory days when it was known for whaling. But when Canio started hosting book readings, Algren’s works drew a packed house. It filled Algren with happiness. “He died two weeks later,” Canio told me. He shook his head.
I stayed at a guest house called “The Pink House” which is owned and operated by a young architect named Ron. It’s located on prime real estate in East Hampton, and when it hit the market he snapped it up and remodeled the old structure himself. “The moment my girlfriend Sue first laid eyes on this place she told me we had to turn it into an inn. That was two years ago,” Ron told me. “Well, I was convinced and we started this business. I fixed up every last corner of this place. Stripping the wallpaper, plumbing, wiring, painting… it did it all with these two hands.”
If Ron’s the groundskeeper and contractor, Sue’s the head chef. She made me the most amazing breakfasts. Carrot bread, pecan muffins, granola, pancakes… all homemade, all incredibly delicious. It’s what they call a “bed and breakfast,” so the only provided meal is in the morning. But I looked forward to it every day.
Another thing you should appreciate about this place if you stay here is the furniture. “We didn’t buy any of these pieces for the business. It’s all stuff we’ve collected over the years. Some we inherited from our grandparents just as they are! It makes you feel right at home.” I couldn’t help but appreciate a certain kind of American wholesomeness exuding from this place. They bought a home that was built in the 18th century, remodeled every inch of it on their own, decorated it with furnishings they’d collected, and served simple homemade food. It reminded me of Japanese businessmen who leave their high-paying jobs to start boarding houses, except I couldn’t detect an ounce of excitement in Ron and Sue. They are simply the stewards of this piece of the past. There’s something comforting in that.
“We don’t like to think of this place as a hotel. It’s our home, and we’re inviting guests to stay with us. That’s why we don’t advertise. There aren’t TVs or phones in the rooms. When our guests stay here we want them to treat it like it’s their own home, not just their bedroom but also the living room and the dining room. A group of Spielberg’s wedding guests stayed here. That was a lot of fun. Stars including Robin Williams, Martin Short, and Rob Lowe all sat together in that living room right over there having drinks, listening to music, and singing songs. What an amazing time we had.”
By November the party in East Hampton has died down. The only things left to do are read a book or get some work done. When you’re sick of reading and working, East Hampton is the ideal place to go for a walk. Or you could see even more by biking around just like you would in Karuizawa – it’s a pretty big place. You’ll see famous homes and the homes of famous people. There’s Ring Lardner’s famous mansion that was built in the 1920’s. There’s the pink house where Sara and Gerald Murphy lived. There’s Faye Dunaway’s home. (Faye wanted to build a pool in her backyard but her request was denied by the town council. She threw a fit and moved away soon after.) There’s Calvin Klein’s house, and right next to it, Spielberg’s.
Why have all these famous people decided to live next to each other in the Hamptons? What brought them here? It’s a tough question. I asked many of the people I met during my time here, and I got all sorts of explanations: it’s ideal location, the beauty of it’s scenery, environmental conservation, that it’s a safe place to live, and the cultural legacy. But one answer convinced me more than the others. “Famous people like being around famous people. It seems like they feel safest around other famous people.” I think that’s right. It’s for that reason that Nirvana has been brought into 20th century and will continue on for 100 years more.