Pittsburgher(s) is a memoir structured on Dubliners, James Joyce’s classic collection of short stories. A synopsis of each story in Dubliners is presented to the reader followed by a related story from the author’s life. The similarity of each narrative to those found in Dubliners is apparent, yet the stories all diverge from Joyce’s ideas in important ways. The differences are meant to provide a contemporary update on the messages that Joyce was trying to convey. Pittsburgher(s) has many different themes, the most important of which is the difficulty of living an authentic life in an era that lacks solid foundations. Ultimately, Pittsburgher(s) is about the struggle that postmodern people share regarding this issue, and the manner in which love can provide what is missing without the need to create a metanarrative.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Jack Kernion is an educator who has lived in Pittsburgh for more that 50 years. He currently teaches AP Physics in the North Allegheny School District and is the Science Department Chair. His interest in James Joyce began in the late 1980’s after watching Bill Moyer’s interviews with the mythologist, Joseph Campbell, in the PBS television series, The Power of Myth. Campbell believed that Joyce’s work represented a creative mythology never before seen in literature.
Jack lives in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh with his wife, Anne, the owner of a successful greeting card company called Cards by Anne. His three grown children, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Jackson are the lights of his life.
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