AS TIME GOES BY Nearing the end, Old asks himself, “Does my life ultimately have any importance in any universal scheme? Am I just taking up space? Have I wasted the time given me? What effect have I had on others? Have I unknowingly, worse, knowingly, hurt others in some fashion? What’s my worth? These are playful existential questions with no pertinent answers for me. So I’m putting down my cane and picking up my pen. I’m going to sift through the sands of my time to see what I can discover through remembrance. Don’t expect any fancy writing. No playing with altered punctuation, or trying to be aesthetically clever, or poetic, or intellectual. Not here a Sedaris, or Saunders, or Atwood, or Yuknavich. Just me, squinting into some memorable windows in my life before they all fog.” W. Royce Adams’ fictional works include The Rairarubia Tales, The Computer’s Nerd, Me & Jay, Jay, and Against the Current, a collection of short stories. He lives in Santa Barbara, California. www.wroyceadams.com
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As Time Goes By
Plagued by questions of narcissism, existentialism, and identity, Old is a contradictory narrator who both insists on his significance and denies it, offering up memories of his childhood, Navy service, love affairs, and professional life in unembellished prose. Awash in nostalgia, this book offers a misty-eyed look back at childhood from the vantage of old age… Even so, the author imbues each chapter with the essence of the past, painting a vivid portrait of American boyhood in the 20th century.
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As Time Goes By takes us on a journey through the terrain of a fascinating life in direct, inviting prose and a welcome sense of play, even as he faces hard truths and existential questions. Adams's prose is eloquent yet unfussy, controlled yet never strained, characterized by a touching humanity that makes the reader feel everything the author is feeling. Lovers of humane short stories—trading in family, love and loss—and memoirs will enjoy this book, which is extremely pure and evocative. This arresting memoir bursts with life, insight, and an infectious love of jazz and writing.
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Plagued by questions of narcissism, existentialism, and identity, Old is a contradictory narrator who both insists on his significance and denies it, offering up memories of his childhood, Navy service, love affairs, and professional life in unembellished prose. Awash in nostalgia, this book offers a misty-eyed look back at childhood from the vantage of old age… Even so, the author imbues each chapter with the essence of the past, painting a vivid portrait of American boyhood in the 20th century.