DEATHS ; Notable Passings; The Thread to Pay Last Respects

[skydog757]

Supreme Court Justice Scalia is Dead at 79

The saddest thing about that is how his position in the Court is going to be fought over. Both parties have already stated their intentions to make the appointment; anyone nominated is going to have a very difficult time of it no matter their qualifications.

 

[Frunobulax]

Missed by me while I was on travel. Cincinnati Reds Clubhouse Manager, Bernie Stowe, passed away February 9 at the age of 80.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/spo.../bernie-stowe-making-clubhouse-home/80298008/

Mr. Stowe was a fixture and face of the Reds for decades, having taken a position in the clubhouse in 1947, and eventually rising to the top position. He retired in 2013; however, his two sons, Mark and Rick, manage the Visitor and Home clubhouses, respectively. The Reds are and will be in the able hands of the Stowes for decades to come.

 

[MisterCairo]

Egyptian diplomat and former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali has died, aged 93:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/boutros-boutros-ghali-dies-1.3449973

 

[HudsonHawk]

Harper Lee, noted author of To Kill A Mockingbird, has died at age 89.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/20/arts/harper-lee-dies.html?_r=0

 

[LizzieMaine]

While I admire her for the honesty of her writing, I admire her even more for her absolute rejection of celebrity culture and everything it represents. A life well lived.

 

[MisterCairo]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/harper-lee-obit-1.3455217

 

[Fading Fast]

IMHO, she took herself up from an already high level with her recently released novel "Go Set a Watchman," but because it wasn't a pure, idealized morality tale that perfectly aligned to our views on race today - like "To Kill a Mockingbird" does - it wasn't embraced and, even, for many, diminished her. I saw it as a lesser book, but still a wonderful snapshot of a period in time - well written overall - which only showed, to me, that she had more impressive writing in her if she had wanted to do it.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Yes, but the real question is: Was Harper Lee better portrayed by Catherine Keener in Capote or Sandra Bullock in Infamous?

I actually don't know which, if either, portrayal is more accurate. But I plead guilty to loving both of the Harper-Lee-and-Truman-Capote-research-In-Cold-Blood films equally!

 

[HudsonHawk]

IMHO, she took herself up from an already high level with her recently released novel "Go Set a Watchman," but because it wasn't a pure, idealized morality tale that perfectly aligned to our views on race today - like "To Kill a Mockingbird" does - it wasn't embraced and, even, for many, diminished her. I saw it as a lesser book, but still a wonderful snapshot of a period in time - well written overall - which only showed, to me, that she had more impressive writing in her if she had wanted to do it.

I didn't care for Go Set A Watchman, but not because you learned that Atticus Finch was really a racist. I thought it was disjointed, inconsistent and incomplete. That's one reason that some critics out there think it may have been part of the same original draft as To Kill A Mockingbird, but was cut out so that Lee could focus on the first part that dealt with her childhood. There is good writing in it, but it's simply not on the same level as To Kill A Mockingbird. It's just not.

 

[Fading Fast]

I didn't care for Go Set A Watchman, but not because you learned that Atticus Finch was really a racist. I thought it was disjointed, inconsistent and incomplete. That's one reason that some critics out there think it may have been part of the same original draft as To Kill A Mockingbird, but was cut out so that Lee could focus on the first part that dealt with her childhood. There is good writing in it, but it's simply not on the same level as To Kill A Mockingbird. It's just not.

As noted, I too, saw it as a lesser book, but not one that diminished her - Edith Wharton only had one "House of Mirth" in her, but many finer lesser books that do not make "House of Mirth" any less of an achievement, ditto, Fitzgerald and "The Great Gatsby." I was just trying to highlight that many didn't want their perfect Harper Lee / "To Kill a Mockingbird" narrative disrupted, just like Salinger would be, but shouldn't be, hurt, if a fine, but not as fine, "Catcher in the Rye" Salinger book was discovered.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Umberto Eco is gone.

 

[Harris HTM]

My favourite writer, Umberto Eco... stat rosa pristina nomine... Nomina nuda tenemus...

 

[MisterCairo]

I loved The Name of the Rose, one of my favourite books:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/umberto-eco-dead-1.3456503

 

[MisterCairo]

which only showed, to me, that she had more impressive writing in her if she had wanted to do it.

Go Set a Watchman was in fact written first. It wasn't published at the time of its writing (see further comment below).

Was Harper Lee better portrayed by Catherine Keener in Capote or Sandra Bullock in Infamous?

Catherine Keener in my view.

some critics out there think it may have been part of the same original draft as To Kill A Mockingbird, but was cut out so that Lee could focus on the first part that dealt with her childhood.

It wasn't a draft of TKAMB, it was written first, and the editors preferred the sections dealing with the childhood of girl, and suggested she write a book about that. Lee did so and that is what was published, with GSAW being shelved until recently. Folks are now suggesting it was a "draft", but that suggests Lee wrote it with the expectation it would be tweaked. It was seen as something that was not suitable to be published, but the editors liked the childhood sections, the flashbacks, of the 26 year old Scout, and so had Lee write another novel. If folks want to call that a "draft", so be it I guess.

 

[Fading Fast]

MC^, overall agree with your comments and was basically familiar with the history of the book as it was "big" news for a awhile last year when it came out. My only, small, points were that while many people seemed upset that GSAW wasn't (1) as morally pure and consistent with today's memes as TKAMB was and (2) as well written, it, IMHO, shows that, at least back in the '50s when she wrote both, she didn't have to be a one-and-done author.

 

[Fading Fast]

I loved The Name of the Rose, one of my favourite books:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/umberto-eco-dead-1.3456503

Agreed. (spoiler alert), the Monk eating the poisoned manuscript, gums breading, is one of the most powerful scene I've ever read.

 

[MisterCairo]

MC^, overall agree with your comments and was basically familiar with the history of the book as it was "big" news for a awhile last year when it came out. My only, small, points were that while many people seemed upset that GSAW wasn't (1) as morally pure and consistent with today's memes as TKAMB was and (2) as well written, it, IMHO, shows that, at least back in the '50s when she wrote both, she didn't have to be a one-and-done author.

Many have wondered why she didn't write more, and I think there was far more to it than "she didn't need to" given the success of her first "published" novel (as I think we can all agree it was!).

Anyone else taken with the line from the film "Capote", where at the celebration of the novel, Truman C on his own says "I don't see what all the fuss is about" or words to that effect? I can't recall if that was based on his actual assessment of the novel or fictionalized drama.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Oh dear. Shooting in Michigan.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The last survivor of the Treblinka death camp has died in Israel at the age of 93. Simon Willenburg was one of 67 prisoners to escape the camp in a violent revolt against the guards in 1943, and managed to elude collaborationist Polish villagers to serve with the Underground thru the end of the war.

 

[Stearmen]

The last survivor of the Treblinka death camp has died in Israel at the age of 93. Simon Willenburg was one of 67 prisoners to escape the camp in a violent revolt against the guards in 1943, and managed to elude collaborationist Polish villagers to serve with the Underground thru the end of the war.

It's easy to forget, that not just soldiers suffered during the war!