In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried

American author Amy Hempel wrote the minimalist short story “In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried” in 1983. The story is dedicated to Jessica Wolfson, Hempel’s friend who died of a terminal illness. Originally published in TriQuarterly, the story appeared in her first short story collection, Reasons to Live, in 1985.

The story is written in the first-person point of view, with minimal detail provided about the narrator. The story is presumed to take place in the not-too-distant past, with references to real people (like Paul Anka, Tammy Wynette, and Bob Dylan), real songs and TV shows (like “Stand by Your Man” and Marcus Welby, M.D.), and real products (such as Wite-Out). The narrative unfolds through a series of vignettes, though subtle hints suggest they may be presented unchronologically; for example, the narration shifts between past and present tense across moments that otherwise appear to progress linearly.

The story opens in a hospital near Hollywood, California, where two unnamed female friends—“I” and “she”—are talking. The first-person narrator is visiting her friend, who is receiving long-term care because of a terminal disease. Her friend asks to talk only about trivial subjects, “useless stuff,” to distract her, and the narrator obliges, introducing celebrity gossip and popular culture trivia.