To Barry . . . With Love

The first time I heard writer Barry Hannah read from his works I was very impressed by his topic. It was several years ago at a writers conference at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. I had gone to the event because I was curious. My sister Judy had been a fellow student with him at Mississippi College in the early 1960's, and our son, who was studying for his MA degree in English, at Ole Miss had spoken highly of him as well. I had not read his work at that time, but he spoke of being quite ill one night and in the hospital for treatment of his lymphoma. His memory of the event is that Jesus Himself entered his room and stood by his bed silently. Barry was, according to him under no influence of drugs at the time. Barry simply said to Christ something like, "I haven't done very much with you lately, have I?"

As I later went to Barry's novels to see what he had written about throughout his career up to that point, I saw immediately that my sister Judy had described him well, "He was a good old boy." His topics in his highly acclaimed novel Geronimo Rex ranged from adolescent coming-of-age in the America of the 1950s and '60s to seeing his autobiographical character living through sex, love, lies, and lunacies as he got older. Other novels through the years included Airships, High Lonesome, Bats Out of Hell, The Tennis Handsome, Hey Jack! and Ray.

Barry's final novel before his death a few weeks ago was Yonder Stands Your Orphan. According to a review in Publishers Weekly, it is "a Southern Gothic novel full of every kind of excess: violence, sex, religiosity, creepiness and humor." The university where I taught for twenty-two years invited Hannah to be the keynote speaker for another writers conference in 2005. By this time, Barry was again gravely ill with a recurrence of his lymphoma. He was able to impress the students, however, in his presentation at this very conservative Christian university by the story of his encounter with Jesus and his complete honesty about his struggle with his faith.

Today I remember Barry's generosity in writing a blurb for my first book, Four Women, One Century and later in writing me a letter saying that he had seen my book in the famous bookstore in Oxford, Mississippi--Square Books. The book was located, he said, in the honored first-floor section of the store. He said he was honored to have recommended it.

Today I remember Barry with fondness and respect. I hope he found what he was searching for.