Joel Redon

Joel Redon (November 15, 1961 – June 6, 1995) was an American author from Oregon.

Joel Redon's grave at Spring Valley cemetery in Zena, Oregon

Early life and education

Redon was born Bruce Randolph Didzun in Portland, Oregon.[1] Redon studied writing at New York University and with Paul Bowles at The American School of Tangier in Morocco.[2] While in New York, Redon wrote for the Village Voice.[3]

Redon was befriended by M. F. K. Fisher, to whom he would send manuscripts.[4] Her praise for Redon's The Road to Zena is printed on the book's jacket.[5] They kept up a 6-year correspondence.[3]

Works

His first novel, Bloodstream (1989) is an autobiographical novel about a young man with AIDS who returns to his family in Oregon.[6] A chapter of the book was included in Confronting AIDS Through Literature: The Responsibilities of Representation edited by Judith Lawrence Pastore.[7]

His second and third novels, If Not on Earth, Then in Heaven (1991) and The Road to Zena (1992) were based on his family's history.[8] Heaven tells the story of his ancestor Neoma Matthews.[9] The Road to Zena is a fictionalized account of his great-grandparents who lived in Zena, Oregon.[10] A selection from Zena was included in Reading Portland edited by John Trombold and Peter Donahue.[11]

Redon planned to write a series of four novels about his ancestors.[12]

Later life and death

Joel Redon was diagnosed with AIDS in 1986.[2]

He died at age 33 of complications of AIDS in Sonoma County, California.[1] He has a square in the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

He is buried in the cemetery of the Spring Valley Presbyterian Church (Zena Church) in Zena.

Further reading
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References
  1. "Redon, Joel Bruce". Polk County, Oregon Pioneer Cemeteries. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  2. "Joel Redon papers [manuscript], circa 1970-1992". Oregon Historical Society.
  3. "Catalogue 146: Rare & Fine Books, Including Recent Acquisitions". Rulon-Miller Books. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  4. Reardon, Joan (2004). Poet of the Appetites: The Lives and Loves of M.F.K. Fisher. North Point Press. p. 439. ISBN 978-0-86547-562-5. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  5. Redon, Joel (1992). The Road to Zena. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-07791-2.
  6. Summers, Claude J., ed. (2002). Gay and Lesbian Literary Heritage. Routledge. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-415-92926-4. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  7. Pastore, Judith Lawrence, ed. (1993). Confronting AIDS Through Literature: The Responsibilities of Representation. University of Illinois. p. 158. ISBN 0-252-06294-9. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  8. "If Not On Earth, Then in Heaven". Kirkus Reviews. May 1, 1991. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  9. "Revealing Angel". Publishers Weekly. June 1, 1991. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  10. "The Road to Zena". Kirkus Reviews. April 15, 1992. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  11. "Reading Portland". University of Washington Press. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  12. "The Road to Zena". Publishers Weekly. January 1, 1992. Retrieved August 10, 2014.



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