History Remembered by No One

A History Remembered by No One is Will Carlson's literary debut. On the surface, it appears to be nothing more than a series of journal entries summarizing a typical buildungsroman--a collection of tales detailing a teenager's first love, a journey far from home, and an eventual realization of peace in later life. And it is. But story by story, Carlson's writing builds upon itself to define anew what it truly means to feel and be 'at home.' Line by line, Carlson asks his readers, does home mean stable geography, long-term employment, love that lasts beyond its early passions, family approval? Or is one always home, even during the trials of idealism v. realism, constant travel, and the human heart? For Carlson, writing itself is home. And if his stories tell us anything, it is that while our individual lives may not be remembered by anyone outside ourselves, they are historic. They are, for their twists and turns, perfect. A History is the story of ourselves. It calls upon us to treasure those moments in our lives we may be careless enough to forget.