Today's Duluth News Tribune has a long piece by John Myers about a new book by Sigurd Olson's biographer, David Backes. The book is a collection of excerpts from Olson's previously unpublished private journals, edited by Backes:
"It’s certainly not known if Olson would have wanted his journals published and made public. Some of them were deeply personal, like when Olson writes about his wife, Elizabeth, at one point suggesting they divorce so Olson could be free of his duties as father and husband to focus on writing.
“'I would have been surprised if he would have wanted them published or read. Maybe a part of him. But he didn’t intend for these to be public,' Backes told the News Tribune.
"So why reveal Olson’s private thoughts now?
“'I knew I needed to do it because the writing in these journals aren’t talked about in the biography,' and are not featured in Olson’s own books, Backes said, adding that Olson's writing is too important to leave in a cardboard box.
“'The biography was my interpretation of his work and his life. … What we have in these journals is his interpretation of his life as he was living it,' Backes said.
“'Writing was his passion,’' Backes added. 'Conservation work was his duty. … And he was very much from a family that did their duty, so he kept doing it even though it may have interfered with his passion.'”
New book captures Sigurd Olson's private journals
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