Angry Words: The John Lennon Letters

John Lennon would have been 72 years old today,  and to celebrate the cranky old man that might have been, Little, Brown & Company will release The John Lennon Letters this week.

Edited by Hunter Davies and complied with the support of Yoko Ono, The John Lennon Letters is a slick collection of handwritten goodies for anyone still hot for the Fab Four or for those who simply appreciate old stuff, like letters.

Here we get a peek into Lennon’s intimate world of correspondence — with friends, journalists, and a few fans — that documente his 40-year life. All this comes by way of an art that Lennon made look (and sound) easy: writing.

While Lennon is remembered for many things (this WNYC comment section from a couple of years ago still makes a good catalogue), I seriously doubt that ‘grouchy,’ ‘petty,’ and downright ‘angry’ ever make the list. Enter Exhibits A thru G: Exclusive excerpts from The John Lennon Letters on New York Magazine‘s Vulture Pages, all dated from 1971.

This god was human. Or 1971 was a tough year.

[View the excerpt at New York Magazine's Vulture]