Robert Waxler writes: “In 1966, David Beckman and I met at Brown as undergraduates and became good friends, participating in literature discussions as freshmen in our dorm rooms in Mead House, then around the seminar tables of the English honors program and as seniors in a house off-campus on Hope St. After graduation, we both pursued our love of literature and language. I became an English professor at UMass Dartmouth; David became a commercial writer in New York City as well as a poet and playwright. For the next 60 years we had little direct contact with each other, but our friendship, sealed at Brown through those memorable discussions, was not forgotten. As good fortune might have it, we recently rekindled that friendship through an extensive exchange of letters (as we call them), email discussions ranging from our views of Shakespeare to the Romantic poets, Greek culture to contemporary American fiction, to language and life itself. Eventually, those letters became our new book, published by Rivertowns Books at the beginning of August. Readers of early drafts of the book have commented on the way our discussions often weave our personal joy and friendship together with significant commentary and insights about literature and language. No doubt our experience at Brown is in many ways the foundation for the book itself, and I want to thank the Brown community for the wonderful gift they have granted us.”
See more notes:
Class of 1966