 Gore Vidal died. I don't remember who exactly introduced me to his novels, but chances were it was Hahn. Myra Breckinridge and Duluth became catalysts for me.the novels were examples of forces who helped form me and Gore Vidal a colossus in my life.I never read his historic levels, but I plan to begin again reading his works. I think I'll start with an early gain novel, The City and The Pillar or maybe his biography Palimpsest.
I've been reading through articles about his death online and I found this quote from the article located a at the Huffington Post website: ' ...age and illness did not bring Vidal closer to God. Wheelchair-bound in his 80s and saddened by the death of Austen and many peers and close friends, the author still looked to no existence beyond this one."Because there is no cosmic point to the life that each of us perceives on this distant bit of dust at galaxy's edge," he once wrote, "all the more reason for us to maintain in proper balance what we have here. "Because there is nothing else. No thing. This is it. And quite enough, all in all."' Gore Vidal died alone.
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 Between 1992 and 1996 I took Creative Writing and literature classes from John Hahn at Rio Hondo College in Whittier. My father, who had taken John's classes in the 80s, highly recommended I take the same classes.
John was one of the most effective professor I've ever had. Many things he taught me still remain with me---I quote something he said in our classes at least every day. I recently discovered that John died in October, 2006 of a heart attack, brought on by lung cancer. I have wanted to communicate with more people who had his class. I've put together this blog which, hopefully, will provide his former students with an opportunity to quote him, provide an anecdote, or offer negative criticism (which is equally important). In many ways, his classes were more like philosophical lectures which, inadvertently, taught me more about creativity than I've ever encountered. I'll start with a couple of things which come screaming to mind: "When a woman puts on lipstick, she's telling the world she's ready to fuck." If a book in a library or bookstore falls from a shelf in front of you, read it. Pray that you die from a long, painful death. |
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