Authors

Its author, Daisy Hay, has a recent doctorate in English Literature from Cambridge, and currently teaches at Oxford. This is her first book, and one may only hope that others will follow. Her scholarship is impeccable (copious notes, a fine bibliography, and a very thorough index), but it’s her careful interpretation of the dynamics of a group of youngsters who were striving to be heard and acknowledged, that excites a reader’s intellect and touches the heart. more »

She was an in-law, a chum of 45 years, someone I loved. It is going to be very hard to forego the bi-monthly phone conversations in which we shared family news. We used to talk about our splendid children. These days, we talked mostly about our splendid grandchildren. more »

He had freckles, the oversized hands of a half-grown puppy, and a grin that transformed him into a clone of my son, the sophomore frat boy. Even the bold testimony from an office wall papered with laudatory certificates couldn't convince me to place my female future in the hands of Huckleberry Finn. Reluctantly, I noted: Scratch Doc 4. more »

Every morning, I spend at least five minutes trying to decide which shoes to wear — and nine times out of ten I simply don the ones I wore the day before. I’m retired. I don’t have to impress anyone, so what does it matter? Later, if I decide to get some exercise, I have to choose among several pairs of sneakers, some with designer logos (again, I’m ashamed to confess), depending on whether I plan to hike, jog, use my stationary bike, or simply take a leisurely walk; because nowadays, each activity requires different footware. more »