January 25, 2011

A Message from the Bernard Family

Tuesday, January 25, 2011 is the first anniversary of Jamie’s death. Last year, Jamie left us in the early hours of a Monday. It was that morning that Sallie and Tom received the terrible call, and later that afternoon we had to tell Fred the sad news. The last few days have been heavy for us. The feeling of Jamie is strong and the memories are frequent. We’ve begun the slow process of organizing Jamie’s room, where we are putting most of his possessions and work. Fred is starting to review and organize Jamie’s writing. Looking at the past brings happy memories, love and pride. The sorrow yields a little space.

We’d like to share a few pieces of Jamie’s work for you to enjoy on this special day: “Where the Book Reviews Are“, “Chameleon” and “Sin City” – use the zoom-in function on your computer to appreciate the details of this poster. Another way to commemorate Jamie would be to read some of his favorite literature. Below we’ve listed his top choices. If you don’t have a print copy, Google books serves up selected pages for free.

Much love to you all, Sallie, Tom, Fred and Bill

Envy- Olesha
Moscow to the End of the Line- Erofeev
Demons, The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment- Dostoevsky
Invitation to a Beheading- Nabokov
Dr. Zhivago- Pasternak
House of Leaves- Danielewski
Red Cavalry- Babel
Dispatches- Herr
The Things They Carried- O’Brien
The Man Who Was Thursday- Chesterton
Confederacy of Dunces- Toole
The Blind Assassin- Atwood
The Killer Angels- Shaara
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas- Thompson
Blood Meridian- McCarthy
House of Meetings- Amis
The Autobiography of Joseph Stalin- Lourie
On the Road- Kerouac
Tropic of Cancer- Miller
Angela’s Ashes- McCourt
Armies of the Night- Mailer
Clockwork Orange- Burgess
America (the book)- The Daily Show staff writers
Gonzo: The Art- Steadman
For Whom the Bell Tolls- Hemingway