Letter after Alan's Passing

Abstract

Letter after Alan's Passing Dan Miron Dear Susanna, Amira, and Avital, Shaken and devastated by the loss, which we have all suffered, I cannot write more than the following: Alan was not only a dear and intimate friend of fifty years, and the best of colleagues, he was also a major participant in an ongoing dialogue, which rendered significant and vibrant our common lifelong commitment to understanding the modern Jewish imagination as it found expression in Hebrew writing. He was the one who listened and wished to be listened to. His sudden demise, besides being a terrible personal loss, creates a sudden sense of disconnect. A vital voice we all expected to be part of the conversation has been suddenly silenced, and without it the conversation will never be the same. Together with you, family members, our entire little community of people dedicated to a rather unpopular endeavor is orphaned. Alan's grace, fairness, acumen, sterling integrity, intellectual and emotional equilibrium, subtle sense of humor, and elegant articulation—now needed more than ever—are gone with him. Nobody can and will replace him in our hearts and minds. Overwhelmed as we are now, we cannot as much hint at the proper evaluation and multiple dimensions of his contribution and the depth of his scholarly imprint. We shall certainly try to do that as the pain somewhat subsides. In the meantime, we have to call the sense of belonging together and closeness we shared with Alan by its proper name, the one we were too shy to use when we was with us: love. Our dear and unforgettable Alan, wherever you go, you take our love with you. Dan [End Page 429] Dan Miron Columbia University and Hebrew University Copyright © 2019 Prooftexts Ltd.