Ad Nauseam by Sanford Margalith

About the book

Harry Brody, back from Vietnam, steps right into another guerilla war, the toxic advertising and magazine publishing business in New York. A factory-rough Detroiter, he finds himself embroiled with flawed people in a flawed world. His supposed friend, Lorenzo Moss, exploits Brody's talents in pursuit of a media empire aimed at control of a TV network to propagate his extreme libertarian views. Like an Islamic fanatic, Moss longs for martyrdom -- in his case, on the altar of free speech. While Brody somewhat reluctantly joins in hilarious but vicious capers to destroy the agency founder's nephew, he fights to win back Nancy, who has left him and married another. Things get worse before they all break into the sunshine. Nancy's husband discovers her surreptitious affair with Brody and beats her unmercifully. Brody then gets her back the hard way, by nursing her back to health. Moss's wife is driven to suicide by his pathological stinginess.

On instigation of a powerful cardinal and a pandering attorney general, Moss is sent to prison for "titillating." All the characters struggle with the blurred line between right and wrong, and all are sometimes selfless, kind and honorable. Ultimately, Nancy gets a high-paying editorial position and they adopt the daughter Moss can't be bothered with.

Brody, blackballed from the ad business for being too much himself, stays home to raise the Moss's child while exulting in the satisfaction of trying his hand at serious writing.

About the author

Sanford Margalith has always looked at life as if it were a smorgasbord spread before him. He wanted to experience everything and nearly succeeded.

Raised in poverty in the back room of a butcher shop, he showed an early interest in literature, hanging out in the same library frequented by Joseph Heller with whom he corresponded until his death (their families had the same doctor, who charged Margalith's family $2 per house call, and Heller's $3. This discrepancy has never been explained.) His tastes then ran to Kenneth Roberts's novels and Kipling's poetry.

At 15, he joined the Marines for food, shelter, and adventure. They discharged him after a few months when his age was discovered. Not to be denied, he joined the Army. He was still 15 but lasted a little longer, discharged just before his battalion was overrun by the Germans in North Africa. Almost all were killed or captured. He's had these kinds of brushes with death throughout his life. Still only 16, he joined the Navy and survived submarine attacks and landing troops under fire in invasions of Normandy and Southern France, where his Higgins boat crowded with G.I.'s was sunk by an American B-24. He was thrice decorated by France. Having experienced all three services before age 17, he was featured in the Ripley's "Believe it or Not."

The war over, he finished four years of high school in 18 months, studied Philosophy at NYU and Brooklyn College. His education was again interrupted by his daring fate again by working with the Jewish underground shipping arms to the nascent state of Israel through the British blockade. Nearly caught by the FBI, he lit out for Israel where he worked on a kibbutz in the Negev, and wrote for the Jerusalem Port and as a stringer correspondent for INS.

Returning to the US, he lived in the Village, worked at the famous 8th Street bookshop and formed friendships with Dylan Thomas and Anatole Broyard (future Chief Editor, NY Times Book Review) and tried to stay away from Allen Ginsberg, Corso and Kerouac. For that reason he was shocked to find himself described by one writer about the '50's as "the quintessential Beatnik." Broyard offered him the job in small ad agency that he was leaving, and having just married (Betty, the last Victorian) started a successful ad writing career. One of the commercials won a Cannes Film Festival Award. He left the ad business and he began to write again. His work appeared in a wide variety of publications, including the L.A. Times (Op-ed) and L.A. Weekly. He sold the movie rights to a novel (was bought by singer/actor Dwight Yoakam).

Margalith lives in San Diego, has two children and three grand children. His dog "Blue" died ten years ago and he has never been replaced.