Even the essay shows its hand when it acknowledges rhetorical language that imo is fundamentally linked to immersion and beauty. These are essential components of good criticism!

I.M. RICK HARSCH We are heartbroken to learn of the death of Rick Harsch, & bid farewell to a magnificent writer, a fearless publisher, & one of the warmest, brightest, most generous people we have had the privilege to know. Through Corona\Samizdat, Rick conducted his tireless literary operations from Izola, Slovenia. From that unlikely hub he unleashed on the unsuspecting world some unruly, uncompromising, & criminally overlooked writing with an enthusiasm entirely his own. His solidarity with fellow independent presses was equally uncompromising. In his wonderfully digressive YouTube videos, he devoted time & attention to several Equus books, discussing them with the wit & infectious passion that made him such a rare reader & advocate for a common cause. In October 2024, he joined us in Prague for the Prague Microfestival, bringing with him that unmistakable mixture of erudition, mischief, outrage & immense human warmth. We were enormously fortunate to visit Rick in Izola last February, to see the place from which Corona\Samizdat carried out its improbable & essential work, & to enjoy his company, conversation, & boundless hospitality. Rick was one of the great independents: a writer and publisher who understood literature not as a career structure or marketplace, but as a form of selfless friendship & stubborn collective life. His loss leaves the small-press community immeasurably poorer, and all of us who knew him bereft. Our love and deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, writers, readers, & the entire Corona\Samizdat community. The mission continues, as it must. But without Rick, it will be a lonelier one. Ave atque vale.