"Fritz Leiber - The Girl with the Hungry Eyes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Leiber Fritz)

at a convention?

Why donтАЩt we read about her tastes and hobbies, her views of the Russian situation? Why havenтАЩt the
columnists interviewed her in a kimono on the top floor of the tallest hotel in Manhattan and told us who
her boyfriends are?

FinallyтАФand this is the real killerтАФwhy hasnтАЩt she ever been drawn or painted?

Oh, no she hasnтАЩt. If you knew anything about commercial art youтАЩd know that. Every blessed one of
those pictures was worked up from a photograph. Expertly? Of course. TheyтАЩve got the top artists on it.
But thatтАЩs how itтАЩs done.

And now IтАЩll tell you the why of all that. ItтАЩs because from the top to the bottom of the whole world of
advertising, news, and business, there isnтАЩt a solitary soul who knows where the Girl came from, where
she lives, what she does, who she is, even what her name is.

You heard me. WhatтАЩs more, not a single solitary soul ever sees herтАФ except one poor damned
photographer, whoтАЩs making more money off her than he ever hoped to in his life and whoтАЩs scared and
miserable as hell every minute of the day.

No, I havenтАЩt the faintest idea who he is or where he has his studio. But I know there has to be such a
man and IтАЩm morally certain he feels just like I said.

Yes, I might be able to find her, if I tried. IтАЩm not sure thoughтАФby now she probably has other
safeguards. Besides, I donтАЩt want to.

Oh, IтАЩm off my rocker, am I? That sort of thing canтАЩt happen in this

Year of our Atom 1948? People canтАЩt keep out of sight that way, not even Garbo?

Well I happen to know they can, because last year I was that poor damned photographer I was telling
you about. Yes, last year, in 1947, when the Girl made her first poisonous splash right here in this big
little city of ours.

Yes, I knew you werenтАЩt here last year and you donтАЩt know about it. Even the Girl had to start small. But
if you hunted through the files of the local newspapers, youтАЩd find some ads, and I might be able to
locate you some of the old displaysтАФI think Lovelybelt is still using one of them. I used to have a
mountain of photos myself, until I burned them.

Yes, I made my cut off her. Nothing like what that other photographer must be making, but enough so it
still bought this whisky. She was funny about money. IтАЩll tell you about that.

file:///J|/sci-fi/Nieuwe%20map/Leiber,%20Fritz%20-%2...not%20Enough]%20-%20The%20Girl%20with%20the%20H.html (2 of 15)16-2-2006 15:43:21
 Fritz Leiber - The Girl with the Hungry Eyes




But first picture me in 1947. I had a fourth-floor studio in that rathole the Hauser Building, catty-corner
from Ardleigh Park.