Is
it possible for anyone with a heart to remain unmoved by the lyrics put to paper by the incomparable Robert Burns, sung to the yearning traditional Scottish melody?
The
first book in my Books Read list for 2016 was Jim Harrison’s latest – and last,
as it turned out -- book of poetry, Dead Man’s Float. For months after the
release of The Ancient Minstrel, a volume of novellas that came out in time
to be reviewed shortly before his death, I put off opening that book at all.
Then sometime in the summer it occurred to me that I should save it for the end
of the year, thus bookending the year with Harrison. And so I did, and so now,
for the first time, I am reading Jim’s last book of very autobiographical fiction
and missing him and Linda (as I often do, truth be told) all over again.
The
title novella in The Ancient Minstrel took me by surprise. It took my breath away and made
my heart ache. I hadn’t known it would be so personal! And I can picture so
many of the scenes, too – in Lake Leelanau, up in the U.P., down in Patagonia,
Arizona. (The Montana settings are the only ones I don’t know firsthand, only
from movies and previous books of Jim’s.) And the voice, of course, is pure
Jim.
Linda
was not a letter-writer, but I used to write to her once in a while, and once in
a while she would call me on the phone. I will always be grateful to the Fates
for bringing the four of us together again for an evening in Arizona in the
spring of 2015, going on two years ago now. Now there will be no more letters
or postcards or phone calls, no more wine poured or bread broken together.
But
I have – we all
have – Jim’s books, and I cannot express the depth of my gratitude for that. He
got his work done.
He left us poems and stories, himself and his life distilled on pages, and
because of that, and for old times’ sake, I am able to close out this year with
my old friends. Ah, yes, we will, in our house tonight: We'll tak' a cup o'
kindness yet, for
auld lang syne!
Travel safely, if you travel.
5 comments:
What a lovely tribute to a favorite author.. I miss him too. How much deeper the missing must be for you, as a personal friend.
I've often thought how lucky grown children are if their parents were artists or actors or musicians or writers because there would be such a wealth of their "voices" after they are gone. I'm glad you have his books as well as great memories.
I finished the book about 9:30 p.m., 12/31/2016, and David started reading it the next day. Thank you for reading and commenting, Barbara and Dawn. I wish you both many happy memories to warm your winter days and nights.
Hello Pam,
I believe my favorite story from that book was the final one, Eggs. Reading all of one author's work over time is something I've done with just a handful of writers, but they remain my go to, only if to reread them again. Jim Harrison, Rick Baas, Colette, and Bonnie Jo Campbell are those who come to mind this morning.
Hi, Sass! Happy new year! "Eggs" was the middle novella in the collection. I liked it a lot, too. Though the protagonist was a woman, I could see a lot of Jim in her, echoes from "The Ancient Minstrel," e.g., the persistent belief in the Resurrection that both characters mention. All the writers in your list are favorites of mine, too.
Post a Comment