William J. Dean

Reading Notes

At law school I began the practice of copying into notebooks passages from my reading. Fifty-five years later, I continue to do the same. The notebooks

A Central Park Life

I was born in Flower and Fifth Avenue Hospital on 106th Street across from Central Park and not, as I sometimes claim, found under a

Opera in My Life

Puccini’s operas are intimate and deeply emotional. At college I drove my roommates crazy by playing a recording of “La Boheme” over and over again.

March Madness

March Madness, also called the Big Dance, has made its annual arrival in the United States. For several weeks in March, extending into April, the

Subway Adventures

The New York City subway system is huge, with 714 miles of track along 244 miles of routes, and 475 stations. It serves a city

Chekhov in New York

Having arranged three sessions on the short stories of Chekhov at the New York Society Library, conducted by a Chekhov scholar, I am making use

Manhattan Streets

The Russian essayist, Joseph Brodsky, wrote of Peter the Great and St. Petersburg, the city he founded : “Carpenter and navigator, this ruler used only

An English Education in New York

I believe I share an important experience with many of you. Though, like you, living far from England, and proud of my place of birth

Venice: “A City for Beavers”

I recently spent eleven days in Venice. New York and Venice, both island cities. New Yorkers may not think themselves an island people, but only

Places of Sorrow

(In my column last month, I wrote of New York’s wealth and pleasures: Fifth Avenue, Central Park, art and architectural treasures, block after block of

No More Dark Tunnels

No more dark tunnels for me. Fifty years of morning rush hours on crowded subways have come to an end. Now retired as a lawyer,

Munching Mangoes in Delhi

Let me introduce myself. I am a lawyer and writer in New York City. For his new magazine, the Editor Mr. K.K. Mishra has kindly