I have a new title: I am the "stud neo-formalista". Mechaieh says so, and since I value her opinion, so mote it be. And now I’m wondering if the shout-out she posted (see link above) was intended in eulogy to the late Clifton Fadiman. It fits him, anyway.
In a literally related note, I must admit, some days I have odd fantasies. I was thinking the other day how cool it would be if Rudder and I were off on an expedition someday, and had a guide intoduce himself as Kim Fadiman. (Assuming he’s even still working as a guide.) As far as I know, KF isn’t famous; however, I have his sister Anne’s wonderful collection Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader shelved next to his father Clifton’s astoundingly literate New Lifetime Reading Plan (written with coauthor John S. Major). All I lack is his mother Annalee Jacoby’s Thunder Out of China, but I do have her coauthor Theodore H. White’s autobiography, In Search of History, which talks about her days as a journalist in pre-WWII China extensively. So what would be the thing to say, meeting someone in that situation: "Love your family’s books"? By Anne’s account, he’s an interesting man in his own right, and that makes him sound like an underachiever. "I’ve read a lot about you"? What an incredible family.
I don’t think Rudder has yet figured out that I am less likely to give a coherent answer to unrelated questions while I’m writing than while I’m reading. Two weeks from now, when I don’t remember this conversation, he’ll figure it out. For someone who is not terribly verbal, he does well dealing with me, though. I once had a boss whose wife used to ask him "Why do you need so many old books around? Can’t you get rid of some of those?" We, on the other hand, are off this morning in search of new bookshelves.