Miss MacIntosh My Darling: Chapter 68, The Christian Hangman’s Confession, Michael Higgins

Michael Higgins reads Chapter 68 “The Christian Hangman’s Confession” of Miss MacIntosh, My Darling by Marguerite Young. Michael Higgins (1920-2008) was a film and stage actor for over six decades. In 1974, he appeared in the Broadway production of Equus at the Plymouth Theater. Off Broadway, he stared in Romeo and Juliet (1936) and The Crucible (1954).

The Christian Hangman is introduced, a wholesome man who is not to be misunderstood based on his profession alone. He’s a man that has suffered numerous losses in his life, many of those close to him having hanged themselves. The Hangman also frequently finds himself in the company of murderers, due to his occupation or perhaps circumstance. Despite the negative views of his job, the Christian Hangman takes pride in his work and his ability to "tie the perfect knot".

Often compared to James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake, Young's novel resonates with unique and poignant observations of American culture, in an epic and surrealist poetic prose. It took the under-recognized, enigmatic and iconoclastic author eighteen years of work to complete this dense, two volume novel.

In 1976-77, Charles Ruas produced a series of WBAI radio programs focused on literature and radio performance, called The Reading Experiment. As part of this series, Miss MacIntosh, My Darling was read over a year-long period by Marguerite Young’s contemporaries from the New York City literature, music, and theater communities. All readings are underscored with soundscapes and music by artist Rob Wynne.

This program has been restored by The Clocktower Radio; with the assistance of Charles Ruas; and by agreement with The Yale Beinecke Library, home to the Marguerite Young Papers. Special thanks to Dr. Contance Eichenlaub for her passion and generosity.

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