Modern Saint #271

Slaves of New York is a collection of individual stories reflecting the art scene of the 1980s. Tama Janowitz creates a series of characters and whether they are artists, visionaries, or prostitutes they all aspire towards fame and acceptance in society. In Regards to the first short story that is told, the Modern Saint sheds light on the crazy, funny, ridiculously worded, and rather trifle nature of Slaves of New York. Janowitz undoubtedly does not hold back on the satire involved within this and the unconventional literal  descriptions. 

The fact this story initiates with the outlook of a prostitute and the troubles they face stating some males genitalia were "blue-veined and reeking of stilton". This rather vulgar and carefree description used by Janowtiz is rife throughout her stories and particularly in the Modern Saint. The title of this story is immediately ironic yet is very much normalised in the city of New York. A place of such great reputation and commerce, some would argue (including Janowitz herself) , actually had a vast array of peculiar characters but all wanting to be successful in the big city world. 

This story also reflects the true nature of New York for artists, which in essence is largely revolved around having unskilled jobs then having other jobs on the side such as prostitution. This particular story, therefore, perhaps highlights the struggle for women that attempted to become successful in New York. These unsuccessful attempts ends up leading to greater problems such as drug taking, drugs that even the protagonist admits not knowing what exactly is being injected into her. The state of her flat is also massively representative of the art scene during the 1980s; "months would go by, during which time... empty syringes, cartons of fried rice, torn Kleenexes" covered the floor, along with a cockroach infestation. In terms of the work, the prostitute claims that when she was with her pimp his main job was as a taxi driver yet admitted there was "little time for his own work, which was to write". This furthers the idea that when coming to New York City, your goal to "make art" is often not granted because of the money it takes to fund, and also the time it requires. Time being continually limited due to the shokcing lifestyle these types of characters live. Whilst Janowitz did not aim to be shocking, you could argue she was simply attempting to give an accurate detail of these peoples lives.