Thursday 15 July 2021

Strange Requests And Kaddish

"'...could we not pray for her together?'
"'I am not a praying man. I doubt that my father's God would hear the likes of you.'"
-Poul Anderson, "Pride" IN Anderson, Space Folk (New York, 1989), pp. 1-28 AT pp. 18-19.

In that reply, only the first sentence was necessary!

"'Let me join you in saying good-bye to her. In praying for her.'"
-Starfarers, 37, p. 345.

"The candle thew dim, shadow-flickery light up over crucified Christ. Nansen knelt and folded his hands in orison. She stood beside him and said Kaddish."
-ibid., p. 346. 

(I have quoted this paragraph as it is printed in my copy of Starfarers but presumably "thew" should read "threw.")

I was brought up with crucifixes and Kaddish was recited at my son-in-law's funeral.

"Where had young Flandry been from, and what memories did he carry to darkness?
"On a sudden impulse Abrams put down his cigar, bent his head, and inwardly recited the Kaddish."
-Poul Anderson, Ensign Flandry IN Anderson, Young Flandry (Riverdale, NY, 2010), pp. 1-192 AT CHAPTER TWO, p. 18.

Prayerful resonances between three Anderson futures.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I'll have to reread "Pride" to understand the context of the bit you quoted from it. But the line about "My father's God" is far too harsh and looks Calvinist to me.

Ad astra! Sean