Jon Hessler, an author and Minnesotan, died this week. Terry Teachout says Hessler was one of his favorite American authors:
Try thinking of him as a Midwestern John P. Marquand and you’ll get a better idea of what he’s about. ‘Of all the people I know,’ Marquand observed, “only Americans, because of some sort of inferiority complex, keep attempting the impossible and trying to get away from their environment.” Jon Hassler has never made that mistake.
Interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this author in my life. And I live here.
I love Hassler. Staggerford is a wonderful story of small town life. Not a book written by someone who’s driven through small towns and assumes they know, but a guy who has lived intmately with the same people for decades. Simon’s Night is my favorite. I love the main character and the glimpses into his rather ordinary life that Hassler makes so very interesting.