Quarter Time

Quarter Time

A Semifictional Memoir of Bohemia and Soul in the Mid-Century French Quarter

Posthumously edited by Dr. Gloria K Fiero, "Quarter Time" is James Dormon's captivating love letter to the French Quarter of New Orleans, capturing the spirit of a unique time and place: the late 1950s and early 1960s. Blending memoir with literary fiction, this collection of linked stories follows the adventures and misadventures of Jake Devlin, a young, vulnerable, wannabe writer and bartender freshly arrived in the city in 1959. Jake sees himself as a seeker—a young man chasing a creative life and freedom in what he believes is his own heaven on Earth.

The book is an unflinching portrayal of the vibrant, yet often chaotic, human landscape of the Vieux Carré. Jake's narrative is framed by encounters with the Quarter’s diverse, compelling, and often self-destructive denizens: petty thieves, barflies, and artists. The stories are noted for their sophisticated voice—dry, witty, and laconic—earning comparisons to the celebrated works of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Joyce.

A Love Letter and an Elegy

Through these linked portraits, James H. Dormon captures Jake Devlin’s own journey—from resisting the emotional demands of an intense relationship with Meg O'Brien to eventually taking on a heavy, reluctant responsibility for Lianne.

The result is a balanced, nuanced look at "Quarter life" —a collection that manages to be both heartbreakingly candid and deeply compelling. Quarter Time is an essential read for anyone interested in the history and bohemian culture of New Orleans or anyone who appreciates literary fiction that captures the spirit of a vibrant city and the search for authentic selfhood.

The Cast of Characters

The narrative of Quarter Time is built through Jake’s deep connections to those around him, all of whom are, in some sense, refugees from other places:

• Tom the Hat, a fast-talking petty crook who dreams of class and security, only to have his desperate attempts at a normal life derailed by a spectacularly ill-conceived heist.

• Dominic Delvecchio, the volatile, yet fiercely protective owner of Dominic’s Jazz Room. Dom is revealed to be a reformed mob enforcer and former police officer, fighting to keep his bar—and his secret life—out of the hands of the Mafia.

• Mike Mills, Jake’s neighbor and confidante—a bearded, well-read gallery owner—who embodies the Quarter’s nonconformist spirit. Facing a terminal illness, Mike chooses to forego medical treatment, dedicating his final days to the "gods of booze" in a tragic quest for peace and comfort.

• Chuck Mishevski, a talented and tormented artist haunted by a penchant for self-destruction. Chuck's story explores the complexity of artistic desire and relationships as he struggles with personal demons, leading to a tragic end.

• Bruce Boyd, a young Black Creole artist and framer who works within the segregated Quarter. His story is a moving depiction of the struggle against Jim Crow, culminating in his peaceful but defiant act of civil disobedience to marry his White fiancée, Evelyn.

• Lianne, a restless, wealthy, and severely troubled young woman whose descent into alienation and self-harm pulls Jake out of his passive, writerly existence.

In Quarter Time, the Bourbon House Restaurant and Bar serves as much more than just a setting; it is the beating heart and the central social hub of the French Quarter's bohemian community.

The Axis Mundi of the Quarter

The Bourbon House—affectionately referred to as the "B-House"—is described as the "center of the universe" for the entire spectrum of the Quarter's inhabitants. Located at the intersection of Bourbon and St. Peter streets, it functions simultaneously as a café, a bistro, a restaurant, and a de facto social club for people who view themselves as free, independent, and "patently superior to ordinary folk". It is here that the protagonist, Jake Devlin, is quickly absorbed into a vibrant, eclectic community.

A Melting Pot of Characters

The physical space of the bar—with its mahogany counter, beveled mirrors, brass footrail, and a ceiling stained brown by tobacco smoke—is the backdrop for the intermingling of drastically different social classes. The clientele includes artists, writers, journalists, and intellectuals rubbing shoulders with "pimps, petty thieves, racetrack touts, and small-time mafiosi wannabes". It is the primary meeting ground where Jake encounters key figures like Tom the Hat (a petty crook), Meg (his early love interest), Chuck (the artist), and Lianne (the troubled Californian).

A Reflection of Southern Segregation

While the Bourbon House is a haven for the Quarter's free spirits, Dormon uses it to highlight the harsh realities of Jim Crow-era segregation. The restaurant is strictly segregated; while White patrons like Chuck can sit at a table or the bar, Black residents like Bruce must order their food to go. Bruce is relegated to standing near the kitchen door to wait for his takeout, a custom that sparks racial tension and leads to a terrifying verbal assault by a racist regular known as Pete the Hat. Through the B-House, the novel shows that even the most "liberated" bohemian enclaves were still constrained by the racism of the 1950s South.

A Symbol of a Lost Era

Ultimately, the Bourbon House represents the unique, gritty, and intoxicating time and place of the Big Easy in the late 1950s and early '60s. Its historical significance is cemented by the book's front cover, which features a photograph of a traditional jazz funeral being held for the actual closing of the Bourbon House on September 29, 1964. In the context of the novel, the B-House is the ultimate symbol of the vibrant, flawed, and unforgettable French Quarter that Dr. Dormon loved.