As I have said before, my favourite Mamet essay collection is Writing in Restaurants. One of the entries is titled Notes From a Catalog For Raymond Saunders. I had no idea who Raymond Saunders was, so I looked him up. He is an American artist who is still with us. I recognized one of his pieces because it also serves as the cover art for a publication of Mamet's 1984 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Glengarry Glen Ross.
The essay is episodic. It opens with a story Mr. Mamet has told before. His leather bag has a broken strap so he goes to a cobbler to have it fixed. The cobbler tells him it is an expensive job and the bag has to be sent away.
"Should I leave it with you for a week?" Mamet asks.
"No. Go get a cup of coffee. Come back in 15 minutes."
It sounds like a joke but, upon reflection, reads more like a life lesson. In business, as in life, we are ruled by laziness. I have no idea who that cobbler was but he likely didn't want to be burdened with such a laborious job at that moment and told the young Mr. Mamet that it had to be sent away. A split second later, he changes his mind. One can almost picture the cartoon angels and devils sitting on his shoulders.
