Daniel Quinn came out to our studios 25 years ago to discuss his memoir "Providence: The Story of a Fifty-Year Vision Quest." Quinn's most notable book, the novel "Ishmael" is a cult classic. It was reissued in a 25th anniversary edition and it remains a perennial best-seller.
Quinn's spiritual beliefs have been embraced by some fairly disparate groups and he always seemed somewhat bemused by that. In his memoir he describes his spiritual journey and we spent part of the interview talking about his ground-breaking "Ishmael" and the message he felt he needed to bring to the human race.
When we were digitizing the original cassette tape of this interview I looked up Daniel Quinn to see what he has been doing recently. I was stunned to discover that he died three years ago and the passing of this notable philosopher was hardly noted at the time. That's why I had not been aware of his death. I read the New York Times obituaries every day and I could not recall seeing one for him. That's because they never published one. What a terrible omission and oversight. He influenced a lot of people and his message resonates more today than ever before.
The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, and Wright Memorial Public Library.
