October 06, 2009

 

Raymond Federman (1928-2009)


Raymond Federman
Photo: Bruce Jackson

Comments:
Rest in peace, my dear dear friend.
 
Bye bye,Sir. I'm very sad to see you go.
 
Goodbye, Raymond - you were an incredibly generous gentleman and a damn fine writer. I hope to keep telling my students that for many more years, so that new readers will discover the fine and ever unfinished fictions of Federman...
 
You changed tense!
 
E eulogy for you here, all done in your spirit. Well, I can presume that much, to imitate you. You taught well Raymond, like no one else. Especially how to read. We'll read for you now.
 
October 6, 2009

My father died this morning. Last night I read all of "The Voice in The Closet" to him in one breath, 75 pages: one sentence. I stopped on page 61 to cry, and then we both cried at the end.

He had not been responsive for more than 24 hours, so this was especially magical.I thanked him for all the books, all the beautiful sentences, this being the most beautiful I had ever read. I thanked him for being the best father I could ever imagine. I told him he would always be my best friend. His eyebrows told me to stop crying. So I did. I told him I understood because he had taught me about laughter.

I went to bed on the pull-out couch next to his bed. I half heard his loud heavy breathing stop and roused to call my mom, who had already had a beautiful tearful last goodbye, and the nurse. He had died. We said kaddish for him at the mortuary, and he was cremated, as he wished, like his mother, father and sisters, at about noon.

We are planning to spread some of the ashes, maybe some noodles too, at his golf course, maybe even make a drop at the casino, and then bring some to France to spread at his former apartment and Le Cimetière Marin (the one in the Valéry poem he wanted me to read to him last week).

We're planning a memorial celebration of his life in San Diego in the coming weeks, details to come.

We are okay, feeling strong. We had a really special last few weeks with him, not to mention a really special 47 to 49 years. I apologize for the group e-mail. I just wanted you to know.

Much love,
Simone
 
For Erica, Simone (whom I have never met), and all who loved Raymond --

I remember Raymond reading the story of his naturalization as an American citizen, at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Tel Aviv. Impeccable absurdity! I remember him reading the story about his visit to the Dachau Museum, in Jerusalem -- there were some pissed-off people in that audience, for sure. I remember him reading in Pittsburgh at a Barnes & Nobles, and mugging with my daughters (little girls then) for photos. And most of all I remember him reading "Voice in the Closet" at San Diego State, a kind of Kaddish. Who will ever write words like that for us again? Who'll ever read them to us like that again? Where's Moinous when we need him?


Brian (Esther, Alma, Lily)
 
Adieu Raymond...
Je venais de terminer la traduction de CHUT du français à l'italien...

comme Laure Limongi l'a si bien dit, il nous manque déjà cruellement

I am sure that everybody here share this feeling, but thank you Raymond Federman, thank you

J'embrasse Erika, Simone, toute votre famille et tous les amis qui, comme moi, seront un peu plus seul aujourd'hui

un grand ami
un grand écrivain
un grand professeur

je suis heureuse de l'avoir rencontré en personne, d'avoir écrit un thèse de doctorat sur Beckett et Federman, d'avoir commencé à traduire son oeuvre

merci, encore une fois:
je t'embrasse!
 
danke * thanks * merci

[volker+andrea+jeanne+ezra]
 
The children and I will miss you greatly, Raymond. Even they know your influence by the play of words and letters so they could make you a tribute, in the style I could only teach them because you taught me.
Thank you Simone. I hope we can meet up again someday. I met you in Buffalo twenty some years ago and always remembered you and your father, so comfortable with each other...the kindness.
nnnorelli
 
How terrible! I will always miss you, Raymond. You still owe me a round of Golf, I hope, we can play up there when I come. My condolences to Erica and Simone. Stefan Weidle
 
This comment has been removed by the author.
 
He changed tense. I can't go on. I must go on...
 
You are still writing, everywhere and in all tenses. You were loved and appreciated, my friend.
 
Farewell Federman. I miss you.
Hello Simone, I am actually writing a work of Aunt Rachel's Fur and he wanted to read it when it is finish. So I would like to send to you, nearly july 2010. In memoriam.
Sorry for my english, it is very bad. But my sadness has no tongue...
We are with you. Miss you, Moinous.
Thank you, Simone. We are with all of you.
Coralie.
 
I met Raymond when he cam to London to talk at the Imperial War Museum. It was an unforgettable and life changing experience. He was so wise and warm and funny.

Last night I went to see Endgame in London and when I came home googled to read Federman on Beckett and found this news. I was going to say "terrible" but it's not terrible. It is sad though. I preferred the world knowing that that Federman was living in it.

My condolences to you all.
 
Avec tous les amis de Poezibao, je dis ici mon chagrin et ma reconnaissance à Raymond Federman. J'ai eu le bonheur de rencontrer Raymond et sa femme à Paris en avril 2009, lors d'une magnifique soirée au Reid Hall (on peut trouver le compte rendu de cette rencontre sur le site Poezibao, http://poezibao.com, avec des photos). Il nous reste le souvenir de sa parole, si vive, si forte, si vivante, de son témoignage et bien sûr ses livres. Je pense tout particulièrement à Erica, à qui je dis toute ma sympathie.
 
Un pan de montagne en face de chez moi vient de s'effondrer mais il n'a pu couvrir l'éclat si présent de vos mots, Raymond Federman. Votre passage dans notre petit village de Belledonne en 2008 a laissé l'empreinte de votre générosité et de votre vigoureuse jeunesse. Merci tout simplement.
 
salut Moinous !
aujourd'hui les moinous sont en deuil !
Toi, avec ton énergie, ton oeil pétillant, ta vivacité qui a été le carburant de notre buick pendant 3 ans...moinous et sucette, la double vibration, amer eldorado, retour au fumier, quelles belles aventures tu nous as fait vivre !
Pour nous tu resteras toujours un Survivant !
Moi-Nous aimerait rire s'il avait pas une forte en vie de chialer...
Tu vas nous manquer Raymond,
Salut Moinous !
 
au revoir Feder, je ne te connaissais pas personnellement, mais c'est avec ce diminutif affectueux que tu existais dans ma vie. Cela fait 5 ans que tes livres m'apportent joie, jubilation des mots, mais aussi douleur de ce qui est en creux. Merci au Matricule des Anges de m'avoir mené jusqu'à toi, alors que nous étions déjà proches : j'ai habité Montrouge plusieurs années et ai travaillé deux ans rue Louis Rolland ; je suis sûre que j'ai pu t'apercevoir, sous quelque forme que ce soit.Merci pour ce rire à la vie, pour ce talent si génial de tordre les mots et l'enchainement des faits. La petite fille de Lévy que je suis, l'amoureuse des mots et le professeur d'histoire ne sont plus tout-à-fait les mêmes après les livres de Feder.
 
May Allah surround you with peace, mercy and blessings, Mr. Raymond Federman.

I promise I will pass your message to my future children and tell them to pass it on to theirs. I will not let anyone break the chain that you started. I knew you just today, and I am sure this happened for a reason. I am very willing to know it, and I will do that through your work.

Tonight, I will start reading your books, and make sure that your legacy continue to live and inspire more people.

You are loved, respected and missed by someone.. thousands of kilometers away.. someone who 1st knew you 18 days after you left. Your footprint must have been impossible to remain unseen any longer.


Noblez Chavazelle

Alexandria, Egypt
 
Voici ce qu'il m'a chuchote dans l'oreille gauche:

Le dernier souffle

Dans sa boite feder()cranienne
Le cerveau noueux de moinous git
De maux il ne souffrira plus
De mots il n'ecrira plus
Il est mo/r/t
Il ne petera plus...
Il est mot
...
Xistence
|
Xperience
|
Xcrement
|
Xperimente
|
Xprime
|
Xpire
|
X
i
ta tah!

pps
 
Very interesting post, lots of good information. Thanks
 
this is my second time i visit here.
I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post
Hey everyone,
 
I've been anxiously awaiting for Shaken to be released. Can't wait to read it. A couple of things: 1) Do you plan on releasing an audio version of this book? 2) I tried converting the book using Calibre and I get the following error message.

Could not convert: Convert book 1 of 1 (Shaken)
It is a DRMed book. You must first remove the DRM using third party tools.

I'm very familiar with Calibre so I'm pretty sure it's not just me making a mistake. Is anybody else having problems converting?
 
Very interesting post, lots of good information. Thanks
 
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