Cold Starry Night: An Alaska Memoir

by Claire Fejes

An internationally known Alaskan artist, Claire Fejes came to Fairbanks in 1946 and discovered a remote outpost, powerful friendships, and cultural isolation.

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

Reviews

[Tammy Jorgenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow...what a hard life in the 40's in Alaska! Aren't I the timorous one, whining about the cold and wet conditions here!
Loved her spiritual connection and passion for art.
Well written and very enjoyable read!

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claire Fejes is an Alaska icon, a true pioneer in every sense of the word. 'Cold Starry Night' is a memoir of her years in Alaska and her adventures in the frontier. Claire is a gifted writer and artist. She has published several books for adults and one for children EnUk, My Son.. Her art hangs in every museum in Alaska and she has shown her work internationally. She is known in Alaska for her portraits of the Alaska Native People which she began doing in the 1950's and continued with until she died in 1998. 'Cold Starry Night' is illustrated with her art and it is as lovely to look at as the book is to read.

Claire's experiences in Alaska are as diverse and memorable as the person she was. She tells a laugh-out-loud tale of living in Wiseman, a mining town where she went to join her husband, Joe on a gold mining adventure. She hates insects and it is virtually impossible to avoid mosquitoes in the Alaskan summer. On top of that, she gets stung by a bee and has a bad reaction. Joe comes to her rescue. Her husband Joe is as much an Alaska icon as Claire is. He first came to Alaska as an interpreter for the military during WWII. He has been a jazz and classical musician, a gold miner, an electrician and was instrumental in starting the Fairbanks Symphony. These two are what is really meant when we refer to a 'power couple'.

Claire is originally from New York. In this memoir she talks about studying art at the Art Students League as a teen-ager. She also had an avid interest in music. She meets Joe when she is just 20 years old, becomes engaged and together, shortly after their marriage, they travel to Fairbanks Alaska in an old car. In Fairbanks she has two children, Mark and Yolande. Claire discusses the travails of taking care of a family in a log cabin without running water or electricity. At the same time, she makes sure to continue with her own self-development - going to dance classes, giving sculpture lessons, teaching art at the University of Alaska and traveling to the Alaskan wilderness to draw and sculpt Alaska Native People. This became her passion. She was a true feminist before the word was even invented. With the support of her husband Joe, Claire travels to Noatak, Point Hope, and the Brooks Range to do her art. Would you be surprised to know that both of her children are fine artists?

This book is an amazingly good read. I learned so much about Alaska and its pioneers by reading it. It is literate and wise with wonderful characterizations. It stands on its own as a classic and is also a book to be read along with Murie's Two in the Far North. It is also a great companion piece with Rockwell Kent's N by E. Claire and Kent were friends and kept up a correspondence for many years. I also recommend that anyone reading Into the Wild pick up Cold Starry Night. In Cold Starry night the reader gets a true story of a real pioneer who has adventures in the wild and contributes to the history and culture of today's Alaska. I give this book my highest recommendation.

[Susan Eubank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here are the questions we discussed at the Reading the Western Landscape Book Club at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden.

• Could this have been anyone’s “move” to Alaska story?
• Does the Alaska landscape shape the author's art? How? How not?
• How did the creation of the art fit in with Claire meeting the Alaska landscape with its change and struggle, logistical difficulties and the inaccessibility to further advanced art instruction?
• What was your favorite thing you learned about Alaska from this book?
• Particularly in the beginning the language was very straight forward and seemingly simple? Was this deliberate? Did that change through the book?
• What did you think about her repeated compulsions to do art? Did this resonate with anything in your own life?
• Did the illustrations resonate with the story for you? How so?
• Was the trajectory that the book took surprising to you? What did you think about the last pages?
• Were there any surprises for you about how Fairbanks grew as a town?
• What are the strengths of the book? What not so much?

[Carolynthrash · Rating 3 out of 5]

A woman's survival story of life as a new bride in Fairbanks Alaska from 1946 to 1960. She became a noted aratist of Eskimo life. Her husband died in 1996 and she continued to live a paint in Alaska until her death.

[Jenny Fiero · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful memoir about living in Fairbanks in the 1940's. Claire Fejes shared her journey as a wife, mother, friend and artist.

[Ma Jing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read about a familiar place as it was experienced at the end of WWII

[Bruth George · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alaskan art