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Did Max Perkins turn down an invitation to go fishing with Ernest Hemingway because of his struggle with Thomas Wolfe?

Yes, the Genius true story reveals that author Ernest Hemingway, who had been discovered by Max Perkins, indeed invited the editor to go on a Key West fishing excursion with him. Perkins turned him down, stating, "I am engaged in a kind of life and death struggle with Mr. Thomas Wolfe still, and it is likely to last through the summer." He is referring to the struggle of having to constantly try to edit Wolfe's second book, Of Time and the River, to keep the size down. It was a colossal task because Wolfe continually submitted more pages and argued against any cuts. -Max Perkins: Editor of Genius

vs. the true story of the real Max Perkins and author

GENIUS MOVIE TRAILER

Watch the Genius trailer for the film starring Colin Firth and Jude Law as Max Perkins and Thomas Wolfe. The movie preview highlights the turbulent working relationship between the editor and author.

GENIUS (2016)

Starring Colin Firth, Jude Law,

Did Thomas Wolfe really have a problem keeping the size of his novels within reason?

Yes. Fact-checking the Genius movie confirmed that Thomas Wolfe's tendency to not want to cut anything from his novels and to continually want to add more pages, presented a challenge for his editor, Max Perkins. At the insistence of Perkins, Wolfe reluctantly agreed to cut 90,000 words from his first novel, Look Homeward, Angel(1929).
The publishing of Thomas Wolfe's second novel, Of Time and the River (1935), was the result of a two-year long battle that saw Wolfe continually trying to add pages while Perkins struggled to make edits and hold his stance on size. The original version of the book was four times as large as the uncut version of his first novel, making it approximately ten times the length of the average novel. Indeed, editing was needed and in an odd way, Perkins welcomed the challenge. Constantly trying to contain the size of Wolfe's novel became a sort of obsession for Perkins. -Max Perkins: Editor of Genius

Which famous authors was Maxwell Perkins responsible for publishing?

Following his graduation from Harvard College in 1907, Maxwell Perkins was employed as a reporter at The New York Times. In 1910, he took a job at the respected publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons. He married Louise Saunders that same year (portrayed by Laura Linney in the movie). At Scribner's, he focused on courting younger writers, discovering F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby) and Ernest Hemingway (A Farewell to Arms). Like in the movie, his greatest struggle as an editor came when he met Thomas Wolfe, a genius who lacked discipline as a writer. -Biography.com
Perkins worked with many other notable authors over the course of his career, including John P. Marquand (The Late George Apley), Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (The Yearling), Alan Paton (Cry, the Beloved Country), James Jones (From Here to Eternity), and others.

QUESTIONING THE STORY:

Did Thomas Wolfe really struggle to get his first novel published?

Yes. Like in the Genius movie, the true story confirms that Thomas Wolfe's manuscript, which was over 1,100 pages (roughly three times longer than the average novel), was turned down by a number of publishers before it was read by Max Perkins and accepted at Scribner's. Unlike what is seen in the movie, Perkins initially dismissed the book until the enthusiasm of colleague Wallace Meyer caused him to change his mind. Perkins cut some 66,000 words before it was eventually published as Look Homeward, Angel. -North Carolina Digital History

Audience reviews

NEW

Hey Jude, if you read this then please keep it coming. Your performance was amazing!!! Your character was mesmerizing. I've been watching you since your early role in Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett and I have to say that this was your best role performance according to my opinion and the opinion oh others who run in my circle. Wow! I looked around the room and said  "How is he doing this? Totally captivating. People can say what they want about the movie but I would hope that everyone recognizes great acting when it's rolled out in front of them.  Thanks for that breath of fresh air. Unbelievable performance. 

T
his film is phenomenal. 
Jude Law and Colin Firth's performances compliment each other fantastically. I didn't want it to end.

Most underrated movie. This movie defines the true nature of an author his thinking and vision.

GENIUS (2016)

Starring Colin Firth, Jude Law,