No, it's not because he's 90 and he's written his first novel (although, that is quite, quite impressive and inspiring) or even because he survived the crazy Hollywood studio system despite not being a "real" writer. No, the reason he is my hero is this response in Marc Weingarten's delish LA Weekly interview with Kaufman:
"How does fiction writing differ from scriptwriting for you?
I found it enjoyable, but, I don’t know if it’s my age or what, I’d just go over and over sections looking for the apposite word. I guess I had this exalted view of fiction writing, that it was a higher art, but it’s really just like anything else — you sit your ass down and you write the goddamn thing."
Millard Kaufman will be reading from his debut novel, Bowl of Cherries, this Saturday at Dutton's, 2pm.
