He delighted in Elkin’s language and his ability to plumb the depths of human suffering without cynicism or despair. But more seriously, he said he was hooked by the sheer humanity in Elkin’s writing and his characters’ obsessive concern with the mysteries of life. He jokingly alluded to the fact that Elkin - especially as he aged - looked just like Robins’ father. Robins struggled to explain what fired such a passion in him. Elkin himself also gave Robins permission to include a formerly unpublished essay. Robins tracked down every word by him and about him - including material on the Internet and miscellanea like an “I love Stanley Elkin” T-shirt.
The Jewish American author, who died in 1995 at the age of 65, never made it to the best-seller lists, but he was very widely reviewed and interviewed and received numerous awards, including two National Book Critics Circle Awards. Get New Jersey Jewish News's Newsletter by email and never miss our top storiesĮlkin wrote, among many works, The Magic Kingdom, The MacGuffin, The Franchiser, The Dick Gibson Show, George Mills, and Mrs. In an interview in Scotch Plains in early November, Robins explained that though there would always be more to discover, he finally felt he had gathered enough material to equip other researchers to do justice to Elkin, assist collectors of his work, and bring him other fans. After 36 years of steadfast admiration and gathering every reference to his idol that he could trace, Robins - a lawyer turned librarian and teacher, turned municipal administrator - has published a hefty tome on the author, Stanley Elkin: A Comprehensive Bibliography.
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