David Karp

One of the great misconceptions about the internet is that it is some sort of gateway to the sum total of human knowledge. It isn't. Every day I come across writers who, judging by the number of reprints of their novels, were clearly popular in their lifetime. But Google their names and you'll be lucky if you find even the briefest of Wikipedia entries.

One of the worst omissions is David Karp.

Born in New York City in 1922, David Karp enlisted in the US Army when he was 20 and served in the Philippines and Japan. Four years later, he returned to New York and after completing his interupted education, worked as a continuity writer for a local radio station.

In the early 1950s, Karp began to write fiction and published what came to be regarded as his "breakthrough" novel: One. It was a great critical success, acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic.

Cyril Connolly wrote:

'The publishers have bracketed this novel with "Darkness at Noon", "Nineteen Eighty-Four", and "Brave New World", which I at first thought presumptious; but now, after reading it, I am inclined to agree. '

Published four years after Ninteen Eighty-Four, One seems to tread over similar ground, depicting the plight of an individual against a dystopian, collectivist state. However, Karp's future society is far more similar to ours than Orwell's Stalinist nightmare and the "thought crimes" are more nebulous. As a result, some readers have dismissed One as a derivative, watered-down version of Nineteen Eighty-Four.

In my opinion, that is a mistake.

Whether David Karp was or wasn't familiar with Orwell's masterpiece, One succeeds on its own terms and in some ways, Karp's superficially benign state is far more menacing than the histrionics of Big Brother.

Take this exchange, for example:

Burden paused, admiring this thin, intense young man. As he listened he was able to evoke the thoughts and feelings that had come over him during the interview with Frank Conger. 'Yes,' Burden said, 'it is quite correct. Not very polite of me, but hardly heretical. At least I see no heresy in it.'

'Let me go on with the first interview with Mr Frank Conger. Mr Conger, if you remember, seized on the word naive. He pursued it because it was a sort of danger signal to him.'

'Yes, I remember,' Burden said, wondering now if Conger was, after all as clumsy and stupid as he had thought. Evidently not.

'He tried to make you explain what you had meant by it, but you kept retreating, modifying what you had said, deprecating yourself further and further until you eventually wound up lying.'

'Lying?'

'When Conger pressed you to the point of finally admitting whether your work deserved an award or not and suggested that a realistic appraisal of your work indicated that you didn't feel you deserved an award - what did you say?'

'Well, I think I said something like - I guessed my work didn't deserve an award.'

That was the lie,' Lark said, extending a skinny forefinger.

'Yes,' Burden admitted honestly, seeing it now. 'I guess it was a lie. But you see, Conger kept at me so aggressively, trying to twist my words. Well, not twist, exactly. But to derive meanings from what I said - meanings I had no intention of -' Burden stopped abruptly, oddly blocked.

One proves that you don't need perpetual war, videoscreens and Room 101 to create an atmosphere of menace. As a work of fiction, it is thoughtful, intelligent and utterly compelling, so why has it become almost completely forgotten whilst other dystopian novels like Fahrenheit 451 are still in print?

Fortunately, some enlightened souls at Westholme Publishing have reissued David Karp's extraordinary novel and they have given me two copies to send to any reader of this blog (STOP PRESS: both copies have been snapped-up). Here's a link to the Amazon.com page.

One is of one of three books that have been reprinted by Westholme Publishing who, to quote the publisher, are "reissuing the book as part of our America Reads series, dedicated to reprinting rediscovered books from key periods in American history. This current group of three books reflects the 1950s visions of the future at a time when the H-bomb and communism appeared to threaten both the West and the future of humankind."

If you like the book, spread the word: review it on Amazon, Twitter, Facebook and the blogosphere. If you don't, please report to the Department of Internal Examination at 3.00 on Wednesday, where we will discuss your negative attitudes and propose a programme of treatment.

For previous blog entries about David Karp, click here, here and here. Unfortunatelty, there is very little information about David Karp on the internet, in spite of his screenwriting credentials. There are lots of pages about two other David Karps, one of whom founded Tumblr, but the most important David Karp languishes in obscurity. That needs to change.

The David Karp revival starts here

Until I found this novel in the cavernous basement of Camilla's Bookshop in Eastbourne, I had never heard of David Karp. I can't remember why One caught my eye, but as soon as I read the blurb on the inside front cover, I was intrigued:

'The publishers have bracketed this novel with Darkness at Noon, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Brave New World, which I at first thought presumptuous; but now, after reading it, I am inclined to agree.' - Cyril Connolly


The rather worn copy on the shelf was priced £1, so I decided to trust Cyril Connolly and take a chance. I had reservations. If David Karp was that good, then why had I never come across his name in nearly twenty years of bookselling? I added One to my pile of unread books, only half expecting to ever get round to reading it.

I have just finished reading One and although I wouldn't rate it as highly as Nineteen Eighty-Four, I was surprised at how good it was.

I think it would be safe to assume that Karp had read Orwell's novel and was heavily influenced by it, as certain scenes in the book are strongly reminiscent of Winston Smith's encounters with O'Brien. If that it is the case, it doesn't diminish Karp's narrative. However, if Karp hadn't read Nineteen Eighty-Four, then it makes One even more remarkable.

To give you an idea of the novel, here is a brief extract:

'Do you know how long you must stay here now?'

Yes, yes, forever, forever.

'Only until you rid yourself of your heresies'

Never. Never. I can never do it.

'You will do it'

I cannot.

'You will or you will die here.'

Then let me die soon.

'You will die when you must. But not for a long time.'

I will die sooner.

'You will not. You will live out your life.'

I can't do what you ask.

'You must. Who told you you were brighter than your friends?'

My father, my mother, my brother, my teachers, everyone.

'They were wrong.'

No they were right. I could see that.

'They used the wrong measure of intelligence.'

They didn't. They used the correct measure.

'An intelligent man is a happy man, is he not?'

No, he is not. My father was intelligent, but he was not happy.

'Your father was not intelligent. The aim of life is happiness. Without happiness a life is without meaning.'

The aim of life is reason. Without reason life is without meaning.

'Would you rather be happy than rational?'

A lunatic can be happy without being rational. You are all lunatics. The moon will change its phase and your madness will pass as happiness will pass. The dark side of the moon is coming and with it your unhappiness.

Jeffrey Archer it ain't. Why isn't this novel more widely known?

David Karp was born in New York City in 1922. In 1942 he joined the US Army and served in the Far East until 1946, when he left to continue his education. Karp wrote six novels in his 30s, but abandoned books for a screenwriting career, writiing scripts for series including The Untouchables. Karp's work in television was very successful and he won two Emmys.

Other than this brief outline, and a short obituary published in the NY Times after his death in 1999, there is very little information on the internet about David Karp. I find this baffling.


One is a very accomplished work of dystopian fiction and however derivative it may (or may not) be, it is far superior to many novels that are currently in print. Secondhand copies aren't difficult to get hold of, but I would love to see this reissued by Penguin, in their Modern Classics series.