The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

T Bidding a fond farewell to `America's Greatest Living Writer' That's Life Andy Juniper Guest Contributor 13 | Thursday, March 31, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com he poet died at his desk while writing a poem. How tting. How poetic. Last weekend, the world lost a stellar talent with the passing of 78-year-old Jim Harrison. The proli c and celebrated bard, novelist, screenwriter and essayist was often called "America's Greatest Living Writer," and favourably compared by critics to literary lions of bygone generations like Hemingway and Fitzgerald. For his part, the Michigan-born author of more than 35 books -- who rst and foremost considered himself to be a poet -- was never particularly comfortable with the "Greatest Living" label, or the praise, or comparisons. Jim Harrison was humble. Above his desk, he'd taped the words: "You are just a writer." Further, he once said: "I don't want to go around thinking I'm a big deal because it doesn't help you do your work. It's not an interesting idea to be a so-called big deal." But to his legion of loyal fans, he was (and will forever remain) a very big deal. Personally, I got hooked on Harrison in my 20s when I found -- dove into, and devoured -- a paperback copy of Sundog, his 1984 classic that told the tale of Robert Corvus Strang, an eccentric, almost mythical adventurer. The cover blurb on my worn edition says the novel is "a metaphysical journey to the bizarre, to the strange, and to all the passions hidden in a man's soul." I'm not sure about all that, but it is a rousing romp presented in near-perfect prose. While fans surely have their own personal preferences -- from A Good Day to Die (1973) to Dalva (1988) -- Harrison is best known for Legends of the Fall (1979), a collection of three novellas that was adapted into an Oscar-winning movie. In recent days, I've been asked to name my favorite Jim Harrison book. While I'd never suggest it's his best, my favorite may well be The English Major (2008), about a 60-something man who embarks on a cross-country road trip after his wife leaves him and their 39-year marriage. The novel opens, beautifully, succinctly, with the line: "It used to be Cliff and Vivian and now it isn't." Harrison, the writer and the man, will be sorely missed. According to The New York Times, Harrison existed far from the "self-regarding literary soirees of New York, for which he had little but contempt," and far from "the lucre of Hollywood, where he had done time as a dazzlingly dissolute if not altogether successful screenwriter." Rather, Harrison, like his best ction, existed in rural America, in rough, untamed locales where "he could engage in the essential, monosyllabic pursuits that de ned the borders of his life: to walk, drive, hunt, sh, cook, drink, smoke, write." "I like outside better than inside," he once famously said. Harrison was indeed an avid outdoorsman who passionately -- and with remarkable reverence -- inserted nature into everything he wrote. Further, he was an outlier who nonetheless managed to cultivate a posse of famous friends and supporters, the likes of Jack Nicholson, Bill Murray and Jimmy Buffett. Simply put, like the people who inhabited his timeless work, Jim Harrison was an incredible character. -- Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook www. facebook.com, or followed on Twitter at www. twitter.com/thesportjesters. DIAMOND DIAMOND Voted Best Accountant by Oakville Beaver Readers for 9 Consecutive Years CPA, CA, MBA, B. Eng Ricky W Wong For more information please check our website www.rickywong.ca · Accounting · Auditing · Taxation 1200 Speers Rd., Unit 32, Oakville, Ont. L6L 2X4 (905) 845 - 1408 | Fax (905) 845 - 5931 JANSSON Ward 2 Town Councillor Candidate ASK YOUR CANDIDATE THESE 4 QUESTIONS How many times have you represented Ward 2 residents at Town Council? How many local community leaders are endorsing you? Will you represent me in a full-time capacity? What is your record of Ward 2 leadership? For Jansson's answers, see www.HartJansson.ca 1 Hart Won't Be Beat If you find a cheaper price, simply show us and we will match.* If you find a cheaper price, simply show us and we will match.* 1 lb c la m s h el l 97 e sav $ 2 224Ib 75 Ib s ave $ 4 97 50 2 sa v less than 1/2 price 597 e $ 10 52 Strawberries 1 lb ByElection April 11, 2016 product of U.S.A. or Mexico, no. 1 grade fraises Lean Ground Beef and Pork Blend $6.06/kg St. Hubert Dinner Pies 715/800 g selected varieties, frozen tartes dîner KD Macaroni & Cheese pack of 12, Club Pack macaroni au fromage Equals $0.50 ea, sold in case of 12 only. 60% beef, 40% pork mélange de boeuf et porc hachés maigres MEET THE CANDIDATE Saturday, April 2nd At the free quickie-fix bike clinic!! 8:00 ­ 10:00 AM, 507 Speers Road 905-338-0783 Flyer prices effective from Friday, April 1 to Thursday, April 7, 2016 in Ontario stores only. Check your local store for hours of operation. WON'T BE BEAT® program restricted to major supermarket competitors within these stores geographical trade area. Other conditions and restrictions apply, please see our distributed flyer or in store for details. We reserve the right to limit quantities. While quantities last. No rainchecks. We reserve the right to correct any unintentional error that may occur in copy or illustration. ®/TM Trademarks of Loblaws Inc. and others. All rights reserved, used with permission ©2016 Loblaws Inc. Michael's NoFrills Van Spall's NoFrills 125 Cross 1395 Abbeywood Avenue Drive OAkVille