I KNEW IVAN DOIG AS A WRITER before I knew him as a friend, and even though by the end I knew the friend as well as I have known anyone, the writer never ceased to loom over me. It was as if Twain or Cather had strolled off the page and shown up for dinner. Ivan was a character—that wiry frame, those blazing Scotch blue eyes, that Montana childhood too rough and sad to be invented—who liked to play the part of the ordinary guy. Unfull of himself with a vengeance. And yet, despite his modesty, it was impossible not to be aware that one of the greats was in our midst.
—David Laskin, “Tear Through the World in Wild Disguise” for Seattle Met, August 2015 issue (Click here for the touching full essay.)
Today, readers can enjoy Ivan Doig’s last novel, Last Bus to Wisdom. Stores and libraries are hosting events; although the great author has passed, his legacy lives on. Friends, family, and fans will gather to reminisce and celebrate Doig’s life and works on Tuesday, August 18, what we’re proclaiming “Ivan Doig Day.“