" In 1965, Mr. Simmons, an incisive, erudite reviewer and essayist,
won a William Faulkner Foundation Award for Powdered Eggs [ 1964 ],
recognized as a notable first novel. (He wryly called it his
'64th first novel.') The Boston Globe said it was 'certainly among
the outstanding fictions of the ′60s.' [ Later, in 1971,* ] The novelist
Harry Crews heralded him as 'one of the finest comic voices to appear
anywhere in years.' "
— Sam Roberts in a New York Times obituary this evening
See also Harry Crews in this journal.
Roberts says Simmons also wrote "a savage sendup of The New York Times
Book Review , where he had worked as an editor for three decades."
Some not-so-savage related material —
* "Anywhere in years" — From http://www.nytimes.com/1971/11/21/archives/
an-oldfashioned-darling-by-charles-simmons- 202-pp-new-york-coward.html