Vic Doyno's death saddens me. He was the last of his generation of Twain scholars, a brilliant man, a friend to young or new scholars, and very down to earth. I have missed him for some time after his stroke and will remember his work and his legacy as long as I live.

Farewell, Vic.

Joe Alvarez
900 Havel Court
Charlotte, NC 28211-4253
Home phone: 704.364.2844
Mobile pone: 704.564.2082

Sent from my iPhone







Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 4, 2016, at 10:15 PM, Taylor Roberts <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> I am sorry to report that Vic Doyno died on November 16, according to
> an obituary at http://buffalonews.com/2016/12/04/1165405/
> 
> His wonderful edition of MT=E2=80=99s skeptical writings strongly attracted=
> me
> to MT many years ago (_Mark Twain: Selected Writings of an American
> Skeptic_ [Prometheus Books, 1983]). A couple of memorable sections
> from Doyno=E2=80=99s introduction to that book are below:
> 
> "One current widespread view of Mark Twain holds that his scathing
> skepticism and acid pessimism were caused by the many personal
> tragedies of his life.... But another, more thorough view of the man
> and his work would transcend this simple biographical explanation. As
> this book demonstrates, Mark Twain=E2=80=99s skepticism is found throughout
> his published works, early to late. It is an oversimplification--and
> finally disrespectful to the man and his mind--simply to say that
> personal difficulties caused his skepticism. A wider perspective
> reveals that his background, his experience, his journalistic ability
> to be objective and to see only what is there, his reading, and, most
> of all his intellectual acuity contributed to the shape of his
> thought." (2)
> 
> "His overall life experience led Sam Clemens/Mark Twain to know that
> this life, this earth, is all we know of heaven--and all we need to
> know of hell." (12)
> 
> I had the pleasure to meet Vic at some conferences and he was such a
> pleasant gentleman, as one would hope of one=E2=80=99s heroes. I send my
> condolences to his family and friends, and also my gratitude for his
> many other contributions to MT studies and to the Forum.
> 
> Feel free to post your own memories so we can "give him a good
> send-off and waltz him through handsome" (RI ch. 47).
> 
> Taylor Roberts