海角大神

The death of actor Robin Williams has inspired a flood of fond memories from his life and work, but Williams鈥檚 special connection to the world of letters shouldn鈥檛 be overlooked.

鈥淒ead Poets Society,鈥� the 1989 movie starring Williams as the fictional John Keating, was a break-out role for the comedian, establishing him as an actor who could also play nuanced dramatic roles. But the film was also a landmark piece of cinema for book lovers, celebrating the power of poetry 鈥� and, by extension, the broader universe of the written word 鈥� as a crucial form of personal discovery.

鈥淒ead Poets Society鈥� came by its literary enthusiasm honestly. Williams鈥檚 character, the passionately energetic prep school English teacher John Keating, was based on a real-life teacher and author, Samuel F. Pickering.

Pickering has written many collections of essays and a memoir exploring his life as a university professor, father, and husband. Among his numerous books are 鈥淭he Right Distance,鈥� 鈥淟et It Ride,鈥� and 鈥淎 Continuing Education.鈥�

In a 1992 interview promoting the release of 鈥淟et It Ride,鈥� Pickering told me about his connection with 鈥淒ead Poets Society.鈥� Before his academic career at the University of Connecticut, Pickering taught at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, where the students included Tom Schulman. Later, in writing the screenplay for 鈥淒ead Poets Society,鈥� Schulman based the Keating character on Pickering.

Like Keating, Pickering used unconventional means to engage his students. 鈥淚 was just back from Cambridge, and they were very bright kids,鈥� Pickering recalled. 鈥淏ut they were 15-year-olds, and 15-year-olds are, well, 15-year-olds. I just did little things to entertain them.鈥�

One day, for example, Pickering taught his class while sitting underneath his desk. 鈥淚t had no high purpose,鈥� he remembered. 鈥淚t kept me amused. I was young, and I had hormones screaming out of my body.鈥�

But unlike the fictional Keating, who battled the school administration, Pickering enjoyed a warm relationship with his headmaster, who was a family friend. The movie鈥檚 plot line about the suicide of an anguished student also bears no relation to Pickering鈥檚 experience.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been fun, but at times it鈥檚 been like a turkey buzzard around my neck,鈥� Pickering said of his connection to the movie.

Although Pickering鈥檚 link to the film prompted a few speaking gigs for him, it didn鈥檛 help his book sales very much. And his profile as the alter ego of Williams鈥檚 Keating also led observers to view Pickering as either a profound education guru or a showboat. He shunned both labels.

Since inspiring the role played by Williams in 鈥淒ead Poets Society,鈥� Pickering has led a steady and relatively low-profile literary career. 鈥淗eroes always sell,鈥� he told me. 鈥淗eroes that write those bogus things of one sort or another about healing the inner child. I don鈥檛 try to heal anybody. I try to make them smile. I don鈥檛 have any answers for anybody.鈥�

Danny Heitman, a columnist for The Advocate newspaper in Louisiana, is the author of 鈥淎 Summer of Birds: John James Audubon at Oakley House.鈥�