Storytellersunplugged

By Dick Hill

THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL is a term often applied to Mark Twain’s book chronicling THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN. The work deserves that name. I can’t remember how many times I’ve read it, but I just finished recording it for the third different publisher. None of these publishers know, of course, that I would have done it for free.

I enjoy and admire all of Twain’s work, with Letters From The Earth a particular favorite, but the story of Huck and Jim and company is the one I value most. In it, Twain taught me more about hatred and humor , ignorance and innocence, downright nastiness and upright nobility than I could have the insight to so accurately perceive on my own in a lifetime. It’s been almost half a century that the book has been a part of my life, revisited often, an unfailing source of wonder and joy and rueful recognition. Not to mention the fact that recording it, bringing to life Huck and Jim and the Duke and the King et al present the greatest and most rewarding challenge I could ever hope for. I imagine it’s somewhat akin to what it must be like for a professional golfer to play St. Andrews, or a violinist to get their hands on a Stradivarius or Amati.

From Twain, I head immediately into a piece of non-fiction, GUT FEELINGS:The Intelligence of the Unconscious, by Gerd Gigerenzer, which promises to be quite fascinating, with a pair of mystery/cop novels after that, then ROBINSON CRUSOE, a memoir by two members of the original Band of Brothers made famous by Tom Hanks’ film, and after that FOLLOW THE MONEY: How George W. Bush and the Texas Republicans Hog-Tied America, by John Anderson. I had originally been offered a biography of Dick Cheney, but demurred. I gladly accepted the replacement for that time. And time is the issue at hand.

I count myself blessed to have gotten to a point where I am offered much more work than I have time to handle. I love the work itself, and I now can pick and choose projects, which are now recorded from my home studio with my wife Susie directing and engineering and keeping me honest. We thank whatever powers that be daily for our situation, and given the fact that it’s only the last few years we’ve been able to put money aside for our old age (at 60, I’m not sure just when I’ll decide that has arrived, but I do believe it’s not all that far off) we feel we need to take advantage of our position and work just as much as we can. We also cherish the opportunity to spend time with grandkids, and to do a little to help the kids out. All of which, in my own graceless and long-winded way, has led me to the realization that I must withdraw from being a SU contributor. Sara’s examination of deadlines provided a well-thought, well-written, and at this moment, highly ironic read for me. I look forward to her future offerings, and to continuing to visit and see what the rest of the regulars gift us with, but given the amount of time it takes this reader to write, and the fact that time is a disappearing commodity, I’m going to have to sign off with this last offering. Thanks to you all for the chance to participate and learn, especially to Dave and of course to Rick.