Waiting for Nothing and Other Writings

PREFACE

PREFACE THIS VOLUME brings together for the first time the known writings of Tom Kromer (1906-1969), a Depression-era author whose one book, Waiting for Nothing, is a classic account of vagrant life during the thirties. Waiting for Nothing was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1935; it was favorably reviewed but did not sell through its first printing. Though severely ill with pulmonary tuberculosis, Kromer continued to write for two years after publication of his book. He produced several short stories, three book reviews, and some miscellaneous pieces, and he began a novel with the working title "Michael Kohler." After 1937, he ceased writing and disappeared from the literary scene. For many years Kromer has been one of the mystery men of the American thirties. Students of the period have known little about his life, either before or after publication of Waiting for Nothing. That book was reissued by Hill and Wang in 1968 in its American Century Series but went out of print in 1977. The present collection is meant to make Kromer's work available in relatively permanent form. The biographical/critical Afterword and the other scholarly matter at the rear of this volume present most of what is known about Kromer's life and literary career. We suggest that the collection be read in the order in which it is arranged—Kromer's writings first, then the ancillary materials. vn This page intentionally left blank ...