#289 / I'll Remember You

I have moved on from Freedom, his latest novel, to Jonathan Franzen's How To Be Alone, a book of essays he published in 2002. How To Be Alone begins with a poignant remembrance of Franzen's father, who died from Alzheimer's Disease. In many ways, the essay is an attempt to uncover the connections between memory and life.

I think of my father, and I remember my father, almost every day. He, too, died in a battle with senile dementia. My remembrance of his final few years is strikingly like the portrait painted in "My Father's Brain," the first essay in How To Be Alone.

I am already thinking ahead to my own demise. (Of course, I have been doing that most of my life). When I am gone, I want all my loved ones to know that I'll Remember You. If you're not familiar with the Bob Dylan song of that title, you can listen to a live performance by clicking this link.