All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called ‘Huckleberry Finn’, It’s the best book we’ve had. All American writing comes from that.”
Ernest Hemingway 1935.
Huckleberry Finn was the most influential book that I read as a child. Until I was eight I lived in a town of about twelve thousand with my family including all four grandparents. My grandfathers both left home at the age of thirteen and my father first left at fourteen. I picked up the wandering genes and spent a lot of time exploring the town and the nearby river.
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse was the most influential book in my late teens and I spent a lot of time hitching around the USA, Mexico, and Guatemala trying to discard unnecessary attachments. After Richard Nixon was reelected in 1972 I left on foot for South America where I spent thirteen months. What I learned there is:
If you don’t do what you want you can do what you like.
It’s pretty hard though, and you’re never done.
“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” A Farewell to Arms, 1929
The next adventure it to move to Costa Rica with my daughter and her family. That trip will begin this August and I will be posting updates on andan.uno.
I also started a web site for news and commentary at dsi.uno and one for whitewater boating at river-runner.com. I won’t be doing much with those until we get settled in Central America.
