It is hard not to think of Nebraska without thinking of its greatest writer. Here is a marvelous piece by Capote, Remembering Willa Cather . I remember seeing a stage production of O Pioneers! and being deeply moved by its raw emotions. I had read My Antonia before, and soon found myself hooked, like Capote was by the simple elegance of her prose and the way she was able to evoke so many feelings through her characters. Much of it came from the fact that she had lived those experiences herself. Her father dragged the family from Virginia to Nebraska in 1883, when it was still a young state, settling in the town of Red Cloud. named after one of the great Oglala chiefs. Red Cloud was still alive at the time, living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, in the aftermath of the "Great Sioux Wars" of 1876-77. I don't know whether Cather took any interest in the famous chief, although it is hard to imagine not. Upon his death in 1909, he was eulogi
I really enjoyed reading him, no matter what the topic. The obituary I read last night makes the most of _United States_, which won the National Book Award. I've not read that, but should.
ReplyDeleteHe makes a brief appearance in another book I read last year about writers in Italy. He really was a unique human being. One of the few famous writers I wish I could have met.
The rare writer who was very good at what he does, and able to talk about it with wit and irony.
ReplyDeleteGore Vidal in Bob Roberts,
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dei-j4tWI0A
Seems like the Tea Party took their inspiration from Roberts.
Yes, but wasn't the movie supposed to be satire???
ReplyDeleteYes, but then so was Network, and so many of them like to quote Peter Finch. Satire is lost on this bunch.
ReplyDeleteI'm mad as hell and don't want to take it anymore either ... who would have thought it could get worse than life under Bush Jr.?
ReplyDeleteWell, when your worst fear appears before your eyes, I guess it is understandable, but whoa be it to anyone who calls the religious conservatives racist.
ReplyDelete