Two deep interests of mine are opera and prisons. With Beethoven’s opera, “Fidelio,” these interests converge. As the crystal chandeliers rise to the ceiling, and
The fortunate reader occasionally comes upon a book that “flings wide the gates of a new world.”The words are those of the French entomologist, Jean-Henri
The elementary school I attended in New York City, a private day school for boys, went from grades one through eight. In those days, boys
George Templeton Strong (1820-1875), a lawyer and civic leader, began his diary in 1835 at age 15 when a sophomore at Columbia College. He wrote
The cultural life of New York City is forever vibrant. In my pocket notebook, where I record critical personal information — blood pressure, names of
A biography describes Chekhov as being practical and poetic: Both doctor and writer. To me, this seems a desirable balance in life. Being practical is
On June 18, 1746, Samuel Johnson, then age thirty-six, entered into a contract with seven London booksellers to write a dictionary. A book can be
I remember nothing of my first trip to Paris. The year, 1939. I was two, Elinor, my sister, five. Mother was in Norway on a
At Harvard College I became an Anglophile. Not surprising, since I was majoring in English literature, spending much of my time reading the great English writers.
On my mantel, the place of honor is accorded to this drawing of Tolstoy, inscribed by him to my grandfather who spent three days in
The ballpark of Yankees Staten Island, New York City Harbor, and in the distance, the New York City Skyline. A night game being played in
As a widow supporting two young children, mother had to earn every penny we lived on. Her spending priorities were education and travel. For years,
