Those of you who know me personally, also know the importance Herman Raucher has played in my life, and, in particular, the creation of what is probably my most profound work to date, The Prom Fart. Of all the writing styles I have ever read, Mr. Raucher's remains the most compelling I have ever been exposed to. My first experience with his writing was in the form of the book There Should Have Been Castles, a book I have read time and time again, and one I highly recommend to anyone who reads for the pleasure of enjoying such elegantly written prose. Because, basically, it doesn't get better than him. No matter how many times I have read the book, I still have to stop and re-read sentences, paragraphs, and entire pages, even, over and over, simply to try and absorb the incredible talent this man wrote with. And, it is a direct result of having read this book, that has formed my own personal philosophy when it comes to writing - that it's not so much what is written as it is how it's written; that a truly gifted writer can write about anything, even a phone book, and the reader will be riveted to every word of the story. And, this is how I write, or try to, anyway, as anyone who has read my works know. It is, in fact, why I named my first collection of short stories what I did: My Life As A Phone Book.
A little more than two years ago, after talking at length to my closest confidante about the matter, I decided to send a copy of The Prom Fart to Mr. Raucher's agent, who, in turn, delivered it to Herman himself. A few days later, Mr. Raucher called me and we spoke for about 45 minutes, mostly about the story itself, but also, the way in which it was written. In that conversation, he told me that he was glad he had lived long enough to have read the story, since, in his opinion, it embodied his ideas on writing perfectly, only better; that it touched his heart knowing that his talent had inspired someone else so profoundly as to produce something like The Prom Fart. Unbeknownst to me, he passed away a few months after that conversation. I only found out recently when I went to call him for advice on whether or not I should add the Epilogue to the story. Of course, I will never know for sure what he would have told me, but based on our previous conversation, and the fact that he and I share the same mindset when it comes to writing, I made the decision to leave the story as is and bury the epilogue. In my heart, I believe that is what he would have suggested, and therefore, will be what I will do.
Anyone who has read The Prom Fart and enjoyed it, owes that literary pleasure to this man, because without his influence, it either would not exist at all, or, would not have nearly turned out the way it did.
Thank you, Herman, for everything.
