Book Club October 7

 After Visiting Friends provided many topics for discussion at our October meeting. Several members of the book club especially enjoyed Michael Hainey’s detailed portrait of Chicago in the 1950s and 60s, recalling their own childhood experiences of the city.  Others praised the accounts of newspaper work, both the newsroom itself and the camaraderie of the men who staffed it, noting also that Hainey’s parents met there. Hainey’s training as a news reporter is apparent both in his determined search for the truth about his father’s death and in his direct prose style.  Although some readers faulted the memoir’s style, finding it undistinguished or shapeless, others found it forceful.

As in our reading of other memoirs (such as Educated), we disagreed about the effectiveness and “truth” of some remembered scenes, including Hainey’s imagined recreation of past scenes from others’ hints.  Thinking about memory and the past led the discussion back to Hainey’s intense need to know his father—we considered the appeal of family history in general—and the resolution of Hainey’s search in his realization of his mother’s love and courage.  The narrative arc of the memoir is completed in that final recognition and tribute to Hainey’s mother.

Our next book will be Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. We will meet via Zoom on Wednesday, December 2. Meeting will start at 11 am, however, the Zoom link will be open at 10:30, to make sure everyone can get establish a good connection.

Please contact Kathryn DeGraff or Helen Marlborough if you have any questions.

We enjoy catching up with our former colleagues and enjoy welcoming new members to the group. Zoom meetings have provided a great way for colleagues not in the immediate vicinity of the Lincoln Park Campus to participate and renew old acquaintances!

 

In Memoriam - Dmitry Paperno

It is with sadness we recently learned of the passing of Dmitry Paperno.  May he rest in peace.

Dmitry Paperno, concert pianist, writer, beloved teacher, husband, father, and grandfather died on October 12, 2020 at the age of 91. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Lyudmila; his daughters Anna (Bruce) Radzin and Maria (Boris) Tsipris; and his grandchildren, Alexandra and Samuel Radzin, and Olivia (Jason) Wilson and Eugene Tsipris. Loving caregiver Hatuna helped brighten his last years as well. Our heartfelt thanks to NorthShore Hospice. 

He received his musical training under Alexander Goldenweiser at the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, receiving a Master's Degree with Honors in 1951 and an Aspirant Diploma in 1955. A prize winner at the Fifth International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1955 and the First International Enescu Competition in Bucharest in 1958, Paperno proceeded to perform extensively throughout Russia and Eastern Europe as well as in England, Cuba, and Belgium (as soloist with the U.S.S.R. State Orchestra at EXPO in Brussels in 1958). He also made numerous recordings for Melodiya, the record label of the Soviet Union. 

In 1967 Mr. Paperno began teaching at the Gnessin Moscow State Institute. After emigrating to the United States in 1976, Paperno continued to concertize widely throughout the U.S. and Western Europe. A Professor at Chicago's DePaul University since 1977 (now Emeritus), Paperno has been on the jury panel for many international piano competitions. He has also given master classes at the Moscow Conservatory as well as in Belgium, Finland, Portugal, and the United States, including classes at Oberlin and the Manhattan School of Music. 

Mr. Paperno is the author of several essays on music and pianism and the books Notes of a Moscow Pianist (Amadeus Press) and Postscriptum. His recordings on Cedille Records include Dmitry Paperno: Uncommon Encores, Paperno Plays Chopin, and Paperno Live. 

Services are private and plans will be announced for a future memorial. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the DePaul University School of Music. Notes of condolence may be sent to 1831 Mission Hills Rd., Apt. 508, Northbrook, IL 60062 For information or to leave condolences, Shalom Memorial Funeral Home, (847) 255-3520 or www.shalom2.com.

Source: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/chicagotribune/obituary.aspx?n=dmitry-paperno&pid=196951424&fhid=4243