16 Comments:
Aurthur C. Clarke also joined the Dead Writers Society this week. Although they no one is sure if really died, or just turned into a giant astro-fetus.
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 7:06 AM on March 21
He couldn't be TOO obscure - he's got a theater named after him.
»» Submitted by »»» leigha at 8:08 AM on March 21
jeffk, can you recommend a particular work to read?
I always feel like I should read more local stuff.
»» Submitted by »»» adam at 8:37 AM on March 21
Saddening indeed. It sounds like he was at peace with it, but it's still a loss.
I would say my favorite of his was "North of Hope," though I haven't read everything.
»» Submitted by greg at 9:01 AM on March 21
I was a fan of "Staggerford", and there was a fun, very short teen-oriented novel called "Four Miles to Pinecone".
His books always had a very peaceful feel to them, which is why I think I enjoyed them.
»» Submitted by »»» jeffk at 9:11 AM on March 21
I was a fan of the Staggerford novels and really like the character of Agatha. I liked how he found the drama in small things, and his sense of humor was charming, too.
»» Submitted by Tib at 10:21 AM on March 21
Great writer. Great guy. North of Hope makes you want to drive into the lake, so it's good. Grand Opening is a fine piece of work. And for all you procrastinators, note that he didn't write his first piece of fiction until he was 40.
»» Submitted by dodgerhicks at 10:32 AM on March 21
I was introduced to Hassler by my high school english teacher, who was possibly obsessed, but rightly so. Grand Opening IS a great book; there will also always be a special place in my heart for Staggerford. Hassler's work is such a great example about writing stories about what you know, and how beautiful something as simple as your life can be when put into the right words.
He'll be missed, certainly -- but if I recall, he battled for a good decade or so with Parkinsons?
»» Submitted by »»» GBGirl at 11:40 AM on March 21
I studied with Jon at St. John's and definitely mourn his passing, alhtough as GBGirl says, he was dealing with all the nasty effects of Parkinson's til the end. He did nail smalltown MN life in his writing, not over-romanticizing it and not going all Fargo on it. I liked his "Green Journey" and that unfortunately titled, but kinda gripping ethics yarn "The Love Hunter."
»» Submitted by paulie ess at 11:55 AM on March 21
I thought I knew local authors but I'd never heard of him; however a slightly-older co-worker who grew up in New Ulm was very saddened by the news.
It's my turn for book club this month--maybe I'll pick one of his. It sounds like for a one-off we should go for Love Hunter or Grand Opening.
»» Submitted by Jared at 2:11 PM on March 21
Outstanding writer. I just discovered Jon a few weeks ago...I just finished reading Grand Opening, Dear James, and Green Journey, and all of them were a joy to read. God bless you Jon!
»» Submitted by John Renz at 3:06 PM on March 21
In terms of discussion fodder for a book club, I'd recommend Staggerford or Grand Opening. As I recall, Love Hunter can get a little heavy-handed and Green Journey is just kinda for fun.
»» Submitted by »»» jeffk at 3:29 PM on March 21
My dad is 6 years younger than Hassler, but they both went to Staples High. And they must have known each other, because when I went to the Staples centennial in '91, I shook Hassler's hand and heard him refer to my dad as "Swampy."
And I just had to google Staples to find out when that centennial was, and the wiki entry is terrible. Can somebody fix that? I mean, right now, "Staples is perhaps best known in Minnesota as the hometown of Minnesota Twins TV broadcaster Dick Bremer."
I mean, maybe that's true...
»» Submitted by stevemarsh at 5:24 PM on March 21
What's the Staples High team mascot? the Easy Buttons?
»» Submitted by grote at 5:49 PM on March 21
Cardinals, scrote. It's a wrestling school. But they did have a shining moment in 1995, when their basketball team nearly pulled a Hoosiers, giving Khalid El Amin's North High Polar Bears all they wanted in the final of the high school tournament. I believe it was the last tournament under the short lived, but excellent Sweet 16 multi-class format.
»» Submitted by stevemarsh at 7:42 PM on March 21
My first Hassler read was "Jemmy" in 8th grade. Such a memorable book; I think I read it twice during the time our class was supposed to read it...and I enjoyed it much that I could probably still tell you the basic ploy if I thought about it.
»» Submitted by dahli l. at 11:41 PM on March 23
»»» = registered user. click on it to see the user's profile.
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