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Even in his last days and hours he continued to be uncomplaining and supportive even when in obvious pain. Gerson just loved people and being with people. The continuing stream of visitors to his bedside was testament to a giant heart that daily confirmed the love he had for his friends and those for him. Finally, I will treasure the remarkable creative opportunity that I have had to both be part of the staging and performance of Gersons extraordinary play "14 Emotions" which will remain a landmark in my personal life and memory. Bless Gerson Nason. Howard Delmonte Gerson had a big heart as well as a commanding voice and had offered his personal support in my (legal) battle to gain better access to my children, for which I remain grateful and inspired. Gerson, you have truly touched my life in a positive and long-lasting way. Thank you for your creative brilliance and for sharing your too short life with us all. You live on in our hearts and minds. God ble-ss you. Vernal Scott Gerson came to several of the Gay Men's Creative Writing Workshops that I run, and was always an enthusiastic and brave storyteller. He was never afraid to tell the truth and, I think, even revelled in exposing in his work the darker side of his own childhood and the complexities of being a gay man in this world. He always did it with love and compassion and a very dry sense of humour that was uniquely his I feel lucky to have worked with him, and honoured to have published a short story of his in Chroma . The next issue of Chroma, a queer literary journal, will be dedicated to Gerson. Please join us at the launch in April (exact date still to be confirmed, so please check our website for details, www.chromajournal.co.uk). Shaun Levin It seems strange to me, that despite the fact that I knew Gerson only for three years, it feels as if it were an entire lifetime. Our friendship was deep and incredibly intense. Pain, joy, sadness, creative fire, fear that it might be short were forming it's fabric. Gerson knew very well that he had a limited time on this planet, and therefore even tiny little moments were precious and full of meaning. Rare kindness and strength of his was irresistibly attractive to people, people of different walks of life, professions, cultural backgrounds. Attractive sometimes even to those who were not able to understand him. But they felt the warmth, never ending, welcoming summer of his heart. This became totally clear to me when we worked together on his play: people were happy when he was near. They knew well that he loved them. But very few truly understood Gerson both as a person and as a writer. I still think that he is not appreciated enough and his time will come. A striking original structure of his stories and plays is still a bit too new and sometimes perhaps even shocking for the modern audience. Gerson most certainly is a kind writer, but not a comfortable one. He speaks of truth too often, in a direct and open manner. He shows the cruelty of modern world and people's inability to relate to each other in a terribly convincing way. We, as an audience are not ready for that. Our 14 emotions are still locked in 14 cages. Perhaps we need Gerson's unique artistic vision to set them free. Dimitri Devdariani |
