The past three days, I’ve read three of Jim Harrison’s novellas, and wanted to post some observations before the memory of the read fades. I read Revenge, The Man Who Gave Up His Name, and Legends of the Fall. Harrison seems to be a master of narration, his prose so tight and his diction so carefully selected that he doesn’t need to follow the standard conventions of using dialogue. Absolutely amazing writing. All three pieces had a dark side. After reading a couple of bios about him on the Net, I am even more impressed. He is the kind of writer I’d like to be. I’ve posted quotes from Revenge already. Though there were many I could have used, I want to post one quote each from the other two novellas in this trilogy I read that I thought might be worthy of reflection, and perhaps provide story ideas.

The Man Who Gave Up His Name: “[T]here was nothing particularly undesirable or repellent in his life, only a certain lack of volume and intensity; he feared dreaming himself to death” (114).

Legends of the Fall: “His heart ached over the confusion and pain he had caused on earth” (264).