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| With Gene Wolfe at the Fuller Award |
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| Sanfilippo Carousel Hall |
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| Neil Gaiman presents the Fuller Award |
Gene Wolfe Turned Science Fiction Into High Art
NYT Gene Wolfe
Showing posts with label Chicago History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago History. Show all posts
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Gene Wolfe Fuller Award 2012
It's hard to believe it's been seven years since one of the most remarkable nights I have ever experienced. On March 17, 2012, the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame awarded its first Fuller Award to Gene Wolfe for outstanding contributions to literature from a Chicago author. For those of you unfamiliar with his work, Gene is considered one of the masters of the science fiction/fantasy genre having influenced and mentored a generation of aspiring authors, most notably Neil Gaiman. I have been a devoted fan of Gene's since high school in the 80's when his masterpiece four volume The Book of the New Sun was recently published. Gene's works are rich with language, insight and wonder; he is able to connect vast cultural touchstones from ancient philosophy to modern space flight much in the spirit of Umberto Eco and Luis Jorge Borges. He is best known for his use of unreliable narrators, obscure vocabulary and hidden symbolism, requiring some effort on the part of the reader to reach understanding. These hallmarks of his style are all part of Gene's demonstration of the dynamic power of literature and the way words shape our understanding of the world. Of interest to readers of this blog is the fact that Gene was a combat veteran of the Korean War, having served with the US 7th Infantry Division at the Battle of Pork Chop Hill. His works reflect many of his experiences and observations from the ordeal of army life and war.
When I moved to Chicago in the mid-2000's I was fortunate enough to strike up a friendship with Gene at one of his local convention appearances. Gene is an amazing personality as well as a writer. Those few times I was able to share with him will remain with me forever. Through a series of incredible coincidences, my wife's career in Chicago media had her promoting the upcoming Fuller Award for Gene Wolfe, so we were invited to attend the event due to both professional and personal relationships. The setting of the award ceremony was at the Sanfilippo Estate, the family home of Chicago's own nut barons who operate the Fisher Nut empire. The Sanfilippo Foundation opens the estate to notable events in the Chicago area in a venue that showcases their amazing collection of eclectic items ranging from vintage carousels to steam engines, circus art to antique electronic fortune tellers: a melange that could best be described as a steampunk-fairy-carnival. This was the perfect setting for an unforgettable night of music, stage-plays, readings and speeches from SF notables. The event was an intimate affair, perhaps a hundred guests, almost all of whom were people with a much stronger connection to Gene than I, ranging from his personal family to fellow writers and accomplished authors. I like to think of my symbolic identity there that ethereal evening as the one of the multitude of unknown admirers silently acknowledging the profound influence that the great authors such as Gene Wolfe have upon our lives.
Update: Gene Wolfe passed away on April 14, 2019, just a few weeks after posting this reminiscence. He will be dearly missed by all.
Gene Wolfe Turned Science Fiction Into High Art
NYT Gene Wolfe
Gene Wolfe Turned Science Fiction Into High Art
NYT Gene Wolfe
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Katyn Massacre Memorial - Saint Adalbert Cemetery
Location: Saint Adalbert Cemetery, Niles, Illinois
Features: Memorial situated in Polish-Catholic cemetery.
History: In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to a non-aggression pact that secretly allowed for the separation of Eastern Europe into their respective spheres of influence. For Poland this was to foretell a new division of the country. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and so began World War II in Europe. Several weeks later the Soviets rolled through eastern Poland, quickly capturing what little remained of the Polish Army shattered by the Germany attack. In accordance with their treaty, Germany and the Soviet Union split the country in two. The Polish prisoners captured in this rapid advance were held by the NKVD, the Soviet state security organization. While most of these prisoners were from the Polish officer class, there were also many intellectuals, lawyers, doctors and government officials. In March, 1940, Stalin ordered that these prisoners be executed by the NKVD. When it was done, some 22,000 Polish nationals had been killed. These executions occurred at various interment camps in Russia, but the discovery of mass graves at the forest near Katyn presented the world a name for these massacres.
In 2007, a memorial to the Katyn Massacre was established at Saint Adalberts Cemetery in Niles, Illinois, here in Chicago's Near Northwest suburbs. There is a long history of Polish settlement in Chicago, which is considered the largest community of Poles outside of Poland. Saint Adalberts Cemetery was established in 1872 to serve this growing community. Named for Poland's first saint, the cemetery's 255 acres are filled with a beautiful display of over 300,00 historic graves, shrines and memorials. The Katyn Monument was designed by noted Polish artist Wojciech Seweryn, who immigrated to Chicago in the 1970's. More significantly, Seweryn was the son of a Polish Army officer killed in the Katyn massacre. To add to the tragedy, Wojciech Seweryn was killed, along with Polish President Lech Kaczynski, in the 2010 Polish Air Force Crash near Smolensk. Along with Seweryn and the President, several government officials as well as relatives of victims of the Katyn Massacre were on their way to mark the 70th anniversary of the event. All aboard were lost. A new monument was placed in 2011 nearby the Katyn Memorial to honor those lost in the disaster.
Notes: This is a repost from my 2014 survey of local monuments near my then home in Park Ridge. Saint Adalberts Cemetery in nearby Niles is a scenic destination for cemetery walkers with its rich, gothic architecture and stonework. These memorials are of particular meaning to me considering my own Polish-Lithuanian heritage, but you don't have to be related to appreciate and honor the artistic expression of those who seek to remember.
Resources: Saint Adalbert Cemetery - Archdiocese of Chicago
Features: Memorial situated in Polish-Catholic cemetery.
History: In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to a non-aggression pact that secretly allowed for the separation of Eastern Europe into their respective spheres of influence. For Poland this was to foretell a new division of the country. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and so began World War II in Europe. Several weeks later the Soviets rolled through eastern Poland, quickly capturing what little remained of the Polish Army shattered by the Germany attack. In accordance with their treaty, Germany and the Soviet Union split the country in two. The Polish prisoners captured in this rapid advance were held by the NKVD, the Soviet state security organization. While most of these prisoners were from the Polish officer class, there were also many intellectuals, lawyers, doctors and government officials. In March, 1940, Stalin ordered that these prisoners be executed by the NKVD. When it was done, some 22,000 Polish nationals had been killed. These executions occurred at various interment camps in Russia, but the discovery of mass graves at the forest near Katyn presented the world a name for these massacres.
In 2007, a memorial to the Katyn Massacre was established at Saint Adalberts Cemetery in Niles, Illinois, here in Chicago's Near Northwest suburbs. There is a long history of Polish settlement in Chicago, which is considered the largest community of Poles outside of Poland. Saint Adalberts Cemetery was established in 1872 to serve this growing community. Named for Poland's first saint, the cemetery's 255 acres are filled with a beautiful display of over 300,00 historic graves, shrines and memorials. The Katyn Monument was designed by noted Polish artist Wojciech Seweryn, who immigrated to Chicago in the 1970's. More significantly, Seweryn was the son of a Polish Army officer killed in the Katyn massacre. To add to the tragedy, Wojciech Seweryn was killed, along with Polish President Lech Kaczynski, in the 2010 Polish Air Force Crash near Smolensk. Along with Seweryn and the President, several government officials as well as relatives of victims of the Katyn Massacre were on their way to mark the 70th anniversary of the event. All aboard were lost. A new monument was placed in 2011 nearby the Katyn Memorial to honor those lost in the disaster.
Notes: This is a repost from my 2014 survey of local monuments near my then home in Park Ridge. Saint Adalberts Cemetery in nearby Niles is a scenic destination for cemetery walkers with its rich, gothic architecture and stonework. These memorials are of particular meaning to me considering my own Polish-Lithuanian heritage, but you don't have to be related to appreciate and honor the artistic expression of those who seek to remember.
Resources: Saint Adalbert Cemetery - Archdiocese of Chicago
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| Katyn Memorial |
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| Katyn Memorial |
Katyn Memorial
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| Memorial to the 2010 Air Disaster |
World War I Veterans Memorial - Saint Adalbert Cemetery
Location: Saint Adalbert Cemetery, Niles, Illinois
Features: Monument on cemetery grounds.
History: Before World War One Poland no longer existed as a country. It had been partitioned by surrounding nations, its territory broken apart and ruled by Germany, Austria and Russia. With the outbreak of war in 1914, many hoped that Allied victory would see the restoration of Poland as a sovereign state. The United States entered the war in 1917 and many Polish-Americans volunteered to fight in the US armed forces. Additionally, many Poles from the United States and abroad volunteered to join the ranks of the Blue Army. The Blue Army, or Haller's Army, was an independent unit of Polish soldiers who fought alongside the Allied forces in France with the objective of promoting a free Poland. The name Blue Army was taken from their distinctive blue uniforms, but they were also know as Haller's Army after the name of the Polish General, Jozef Haller, who commanded the unit. With the Allied victory secured in 1918, Poland was restored as a nation. This monument honors those from the Chicago Polish community who served in the United States Armed Forces during the First World War as well as those who volunteered to serve in the Blue Army.
Notes: This is a repost from a survey of Chicago area World War I monuments I published in October 2014 for the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One.
Resources: Haller's Army Website, Saint Adalbert Cemetery
Features: Monument on cemetery grounds.
History: Before World War One Poland no longer existed as a country. It had been partitioned by surrounding nations, its territory broken apart and ruled by Germany, Austria and Russia. With the outbreak of war in 1914, many hoped that Allied victory would see the restoration of Poland as a sovereign state. The United States entered the war in 1917 and many Polish-Americans volunteered to fight in the US armed forces. Additionally, many Poles from the United States and abroad volunteered to join the ranks of the Blue Army. The Blue Army, or Haller's Army, was an independent unit of Polish soldiers who fought alongside the Allied forces in France with the objective of promoting a free Poland. The name Blue Army was taken from their distinctive blue uniforms, but they were also know as Haller's Army after the name of the Polish General, Jozef Haller, who commanded the unit. With the Allied victory secured in 1918, Poland was restored as a nation. This monument honors those from the Chicago Polish community who served in the United States Armed Forces during the First World War as well as those who volunteered to serve in the Blue Army.
Notes: This is a repost from a survey of Chicago area World War I monuments I published in October 2014 for the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One.
Resources: Haller's Army Website, Saint Adalbert Cemetery
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| Veterans Memorial |
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| Soldiers |
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| Navy |
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| Haller Army |
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| Marines |
Monument Park - Edison Park
Location: Edison Park, Illinois
Features: Small neighborhood park with granite monument.
History: Located in the far Northwest Chicago neighborhood of Edison Park, this granite monument was dedicated in 1919. According to the Chicago Park District, members of the Illinois Volunteer Training Corps offered this monument to honor all citizens of Edison Park who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War I. It was accepted and maintained by the Edison Park District before being incorporated into the Chicago Parks District in 1934. The granite column is itself an historical artifact, a remnant of the old Cook County Courthouse which was demolished in 1906. The monument suffered from vandalism and wear over the years and was recently restored in 2008.
Among the individuals named for their service on the memorial plaque is that of Thomas A. Pope, United States Medal of Honor, British Distinguished Conduct Medal and French Croix de Guerre recipient. Corporal Pope saw his first and only action at the Battle of Hamel, July 4, 1918. American units, including Pope's 33 Infantry Division were attached to an Australian offensive in France against German defenses. As Pope's battalion advanced on an enemy machine gun nest, he charged ahead alone into the surprised crew and eliminated them with the bayonet. Then he picked off nearby German squads with his rifle while the rest of his unit caught up with him in the trench. The Battle of Hamel was an important moment for the Allies as it showcased the success of their efforts to improve cooperation between the various nations and demonstrated the power of new combined arms tactics that would defeat the stalemate of trench warfare. For Thomas Pope, however, the war was soon over. Two days after his heroic moment, he was the victim of a gas attack and shipped back home to Edison Park. For his actions that day he was the first American to receive the Medal of Honor in France, and the longest American soldier Medal of Honor recipient to survive, passing in 1989 at the age of 94. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Notes: This is a repost from a survey of Chicago area World War I monuments I published in October 2014 for the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One.
Features: Small neighborhood park with granite monument.
History: Located in the far Northwest Chicago neighborhood of Edison Park, this granite monument was dedicated in 1919. According to the Chicago Park District, members of the Illinois Volunteer Training Corps offered this monument to honor all citizens of Edison Park who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War I. It was accepted and maintained by the Edison Park District before being incorporated into the Chicago Parks District in 1934. The granite column is itself an historical artifact, a remnant of the old Cook County Courthouse which was demolished in 1906. The monument suffered from vandalism and wear over the years and was recently restored in 2008.
Among the individuals named for their service on the memorial plaque is that of Thomas A. Pope, United States Medal of Honor, British Distinguished Conduct Medal and French Croix de Guerre recipient. Corporal Pope saw his first and only action at the Battle of Hamel, July 4, 1918. American units, including Pope's 33 Infantry Division were attached to an Australian offensive in France against German defenses. As Pope's battalion advanced on an enemy machine gun nest, he charged ahead alone into the surprised crew and eliminated them with the bayonet. Then he picked off nearby German squads with his rifle while the rest of his unit caught up with him in the trench. The Battle of Hamel was an important moment for the Allies as it showcased the success of their efforts to improve cooperation between the various nations and demonstrated the power of new combined arms tactics that would defeat the stalemate of trench warfare. For Thomas Pope, however, the war was soon over. Two days after his heroic moment, he was the victim of a gas attack and shipped back home to Edison Park. For his actions that day he was the first American to receive the Medal of Honor in France, and the longest American soldier Medal of Honor recipient to survive, passing in 1989 at the age of 94. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Notes: This is a repost from a survey of Chicago area World War I monuments I published in October 2014 for the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One.
Resources: Chicago Park District - Monument Park, Thomas Pope Wiki, Thomas Pope Obituary, Battle of Hamel Wiki
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