Mon, 9 May 2011 14:03:42 -0400
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Like everyone else, I'm thunderstruck at the sudden passing of Michael
Kiskis, whom I regarded as a friend of the first magnitude. I always
looked forward to spending time with him at Mark Twain gatherings and
rarely, if ever, missed the opportunity to do so. Although very much a
joker, he was also a deeply sincere person. He seemed in both of those
ways to share a deep kinship (that he was well aware of) with Mark Twain
himself.
John Bird mentioned Michael's important (though mostly
behind-the-scenes) role in launching The Mark Twain Annual. Michael
also took some pride in having been one of the founders of the Mark
Twain Circle--at the storied first gathering at MLA 1986. As for his
teaching, I have no doubt that it revolved around a principle that he
articulated in his essay "'When I read this book as a child ... the
ugliness was pushed aside': Adult Students Read and Respond to
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn": "all worthwhile critical work begins
with personal interest and provocative ideas." He took a personal
interest in Mark Twain, in his students, and in his friends--who
apparently included everyone with a serious interest in Mark Twain, or
in literature in general. Michael loved Mark Twain because Twain was a
real human being, and we loved Michael for the same reason.
--Jim Leonard
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