i was recently informed that DFW committed suicide.
it's sad that the english speaking world has lost one of its great thinkers, writers... a genius really.
but i'm kinda pissed about the reaction.
really, people? he KILLED HIMSELF. and left his hanging body there for his wife to find. is that fair?
great thinker? yes. phenomenal writer? yep.
good man? who knows.
and right now, i'm just sick reading the "fan" reports who are all "this is so tragic," and "we don't understand why it happened" because... well, not tragic.
tragic is getting hit by a bus. tragic is a long cruel fight against cancer. tragic is anything but suicide.
and what is there to not understand? he decided death was more desirable than life, tied a rope around his neck and jumped.
we are fans of his writing. and great that it was and understanding of him as a person that it might have made us feel, we didn't know him. only his friends, maybe his students, his family knew him. knew his struggles. knew why. and really, it's for them to understand not us.
and these feelings of anger toward his fans... well, they don't lessen my respect for him. as a writer. not a man.
rest in peace, dfw. your work will be missed.
2 comments:
HA! I just wrote a blog on this topic last night. we must be having some serious mental connections. even if they are on from different view points.
Keeping Juanito,You adn your family in my prayers.
Much Love Chickadee.
No! it wasn't for you :-). It was a topic that had been on my mind a lot all week- most spawned by those who shall remain nameless.
I would agree that often people idealize and honor things that aren't really appropriate- suicide being one, certainly.
The plural of genius: Melanie and Sarah. (Doy) or even better, this word which has certainly gone out of vogue: genii. (although not generally used in this capacity)
Much love darlin'.
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