Location: United States
Member Since:
Jan. 10, 2016
Julian Koosman
Biography
FOREWORD FROM "ONEONTA: THE NOVEL":
I was deeply saddened by word of the passing of my dear friend Julian Koosman, who is perhaps the only acquaintance I've ever had who truly knew what it meant to be alive. He died as he lived, in the midst of another adventure, this one on a fishing boat off the coast of Bora Bora. I had lost touch with Jules over the years save for the occasional letter, many of which were crinkled with beverage stains from the pub where he had written them or simply torn from one of the spiral notebooks he used as a journal.
Jules had often referenced his days at Oneonta State College in the States, which is about a four hour drive north of his childhood home of Long Island, New York. After receiving the manuscript of this work, which he referred to as his "college novel," I made it a point to visit Oneonta this past autumn and found it even more beautiful than the place I pictured from his descriptions. He often credited the experiences he had with his mates in this place as the launching point of what would become an extraordinary life that ended far too soon—although Jules may not have seen it that way, having packed so much into his forty years.
The yellow post-it note attached to the cover was a clue to his conclusion that this work would never be finished. The handwritten note simply read, "Give to Edward Chidlington, Burtlesbush UK," and below it was another post-it note with different handwriting that read, "Julian wanted you to have this." I had been Jules' editor when he wrote for me at Burtlesbush, an operation in London that shut down about a decade ago that published trade journals for the food service industry. He found the work a bore, but he considered this employment as the price of admission to experience all that London had to offer. He spent three years here before moving on to places such as Belgium, Iceland, Tierra del Fuego, and ultimately Bora Bora.
Indeed this work is raw, and I can see the struggle he had in shaping these experiences into a working narrative. Being familiar with Jules' style, I can tell which parts are pure rubbish, but I also recognize the experiences that factored into decisions he would make later in life, and, more than anything, I can see why he didn't want the amazing ride that started in this small New York town come to an end.
Edward Chidlington III
21 January 2014
Tottenham, London, UK
I was deeply saddened by word of the passing of my dear friend Julian Koosman, who is perhaps the only acquaintance I've ever had who truly knew what it meant to be alive. He died as he lived, in the midst of another adventure, this one on a fishing boat off the coast of Bora Bora. I had lost touch with Jules over the years save for the occasional letter, many of which were crinkled with beverage stains from the pub where he had written them or simply torn from one of the spiral notebooks he used as a journal.
Jules had often referenced his days at Oneonta State College in the States, which is about a four hour drive north of his childhood home of Long Island, New York. After receiving the manuscript of this work, which he referred to as his "college novel," I made it a point to visit Oneonta this past autumn and found it even more beautiful than the place I pictured from his descriptions. He often credited the experiences he had with his mates in this place as the launching point of what would become an extraordinary life that ended far too soon—although Jules may not have seen it that way, having packed so much into his forty years.
The yellow post-it note attached to the cover was a clue to his conclusion that this work would never be finished. The handwritten note simply read, "Give to Edward Chidlington, Burtlesbush UK," and below it was another post-it note with different handwriting that read, "Julian wanted you to have this." I had been Jules' editor when he wrote for me at Burtlesbush, an operation in London that shut down about a decade ago that published trade journals for the food service industry. He found the work a bore, but he considered this employment as the price of admission to experience all that London had to offer. He spent three years here before moving on to places such as Belgium, Iceland, Tierra del Fuego, and ultimately Bora Bora.
Indeed this work is raw, and I can see the struggle he had in shaping these experiences into a working narrative. Being familiar with Jules' style, I can tell which parts are pure rubbish, but I also recognize the experiences that factored into decisions he would make later in life, and, more than anything, I can see why he didn't want the amazing ride that started in this small New York town come to an end.
Edward Chidlington III
21 January 2014
Tottenham, London, UK