Frank McCourt had died

Tuesday, 21 July 2009

A few hours ago I’ve just found out Frank McCourt had died yesterday. I remember hearing his name on the news last night, something about being ill, but I was in the shower and by the time I got out, the news had moved on to something else.

So, tonight I searched for news about him and when I read the first sentence that he had died, I just broke down and cried my little heart out.

He was the friend I never met. He was my inspiration, leading a humble life, and then when he was somewhere in his 60s, publishing his first book, which won him a Pulitzer Prize and also my love and respect.

I loved the way he wrote. I wanted to write like that. It felt like he was sitting in a bar next to me, chatting to me about his life, and I was too captivated to move – which made it hard to put his books down. It was like he was right here talking to me like I was his oldest friend, and by closing the book, it felt like I was rudely interrupting him while he was on a roll.

I liked the way how he kept it all real as he dealt with life’s tragedies with the armour of a wicked sense of humour and dry wit. He kept all the darkness so innocent by just telling it like it was – no frills, no fuss, just the blatant, downright truth. He’d hit the nail on the head so many times for me, that reading his books felt like an epiphany carnival had come my way and I could go on all the rides.

And how I rode, and swallowed his words like candy, letting them light up my literary world just like fairy lights would light up a window.

It was beautiful and magical, even though you know a lot of darkness was needed to make those lights glow so fantastically.

I’ll miss him, what he brought to this world and what I was hoping he’d still bring.

I can now only make sure that the inspiration he gave me would not go to waste. I’ll dive right back into my book and speak my own truth, hoping it’ll light up some individuals’ windows out there too.

My darkness can create a lot of light. I just need to keep on believing that.

Related site: http://blog.books4change.co.za/2009/08/goodbye-teacher-man.html

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Tags: 'Tis, Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt, Teacher Man, Writing a Book