Professor's memoirs in
form of stories
By Jamie Teibel
Summer
Editor
William Bache, retired professor of English,
speaks of his time as an infantryman in the military from a literary
perspective. In his memoirs, titled "On the Road to Innsbruck and
Back: A World War II Memoir," Bache retells his experiences via 16
short stories.
Bache, who specializes in Shakespeare and poetry,
wrote with influences from many literary geniuses, but named Hemingway,
in particular, as his main stylistic influence. He said he kept one
thing in mind while writing that Hemingway once said, "Only write
what you know, but know not to write too much."
Bache also said that there are many submerged
literary allusions in his writing. For example, the title of one of
the stories, "Period of Adjustment," is also the title of a play by
Tennessee Williams. It tells of the time in Bache's life when he had
to adjust to life outside of the military.
Bache enlisted in the Army in October of 1942
and was released in March of 1946. He was shot four times while in
the military, spending his last 10 months in hospitals. He said his
experiences in the war were traumatic, "I would have a hard time forgetting."
That's why he was able to write his stories in
chronological order, from the view of a private. Bache said he wanted
his stories written because other writers have attempted to capture
the experiences of a soldier at war, but don't have the first-hand
information to tell an adequate story.
Bache is speaking at 7p.m. Thursday at the Tippecanoe
County Public Library. He said he will try to talk about literary
things because it is a library, "I thought it is appropriate." He
will also stress the importance of libraries and reading.
"This is one thing we try to do for adults, seniors
and young adults," said Scottie Patterson, assistant Tippecanoe County
Public Library librarian. "We're hoping especially this will appeal
to particular people because it is a World War II memoir and because
of Memorial Day weekend," she continued.
Tippecanoe County Public Library is located at
627 South Street in Lafayette. The event is free and open to the public.
