Graduate Publishes First Book

Just four months after graduating from Harvard, a former American and English Literature concentrator has published his first novel, depicting the violent adventures of two Tampa brothers.

Daniel Vilmure '87, a Tampa resident who transferred to Harvard after two years at Loyola University in New Orleans, has already received resounding critical acclaim for his book, "Life in the Land of the Living".

Vilmure, who wrote most of the the novel during the summers of 1984. and 1985, said he began writing the book after his freshman year at Loyola.

During his sophomore year, Vilmure revised the work and sent it to publishers. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. agreed to publish the book earlier this year, and it hit bookstores across the country on October 21.

The novel has received critical acclaim for its intriguing plot, which traces two teenaged brothers from a broken home who steal food from a restaurant, escape a bloody brawl and witness a murder in one incredible night.

Washington Post reviewer Robert H. Williams wrote that Vilmure "has command of all [the elements of modern fiction]." And the New York Times Book Review praised the author's talent, noting the book's "compelling imagery, irony and framing device."

Vilmure said he had not anticipated such a favorable response to his work. "I didn't really expect anything [from the book reviews]," he said. "I was pleased."

But Vilmure said he thought the critics would not be so happy with his next novel, "The Broken Book," which he wrote while at Harvard.

"Each chapter is a 15-minute segment, and each chapter takes on a new set of characters," Vilmure said of what he called "a kind of a literary experiment."

"I'm personally very proud of it, but it will probably be the end of my career," said the aspiring author, only half in jest. Vilmure said the responses to his second novel "have been discouraging," and said he has not yet been able to find a publisher.

The former Lowell resident said he is pursuing several possibilities for his first novel, including selling the movie rights.

"I'm hoping to sell it and go travel," Vilmure said, adding, "I'd like to go out west to California, or go to Paris, where all the great authors, like Hemingway, have ended up."

Meanwhile, however, Vilmure continues writing full-time from his Tampa home. "I'm trying to write a third novel, and I'm determined to sit down and crank it out."

Vilmure, who wrote for both The Crimson and the Advocate, credited Harvard with improving his literary background. But he said he did not know "howeffectively creative writing can be taught." Headded, "You can write a lot, and quantity can meanquality, but you really can't teach it.