Preface to the Essays

These essays were collected by my father who was much
interested in my academic work both in high school and
in college. Some years subsequent to his death, I discovered
the manuscripts among my father's papers. Had my request:
"Bitte zurueckschicken" been honored, these essays most
likely would have been lost, and no harm done. I am, of
course, aware that they have no literary value. They are
of interest to me as markers of the lunatic labyrinthine
path of my existence. The further meaning, if any, that
they might have is in the province of the reader.

"Family" was written for a course styled "Bible" during
my senior year at Germantown Friends School, taught by
its principal Mr. Burton Fowler who persuaded the Harvard
admissions officers to accept me even though they claimed
I was too young and perhaps also because their quota for
students such as myself was exhausted.

"Strikers" was written for an English assigment. "Paradox",
as a submission for an Atlantic Monthly essay contest, and
"Beethoven"  was the essay I read as salutatorian at my
high school graduation.

"Harvard" is not mine, but an exchange of letters between
the Dean of Freshmen and my father concerning potential 
difficulties of my adjusting to college, a reminder to me
of the awkwardness with which both my father and I
assimilated ourselves to the unfamiliar culture.

The next five essays, all dated 1946, were written for the
required "English A" composition. If I remember correctly,
to the consternation of the instructor, whom I did not like,
I exercised my option to drop the course at midyear.

"Egmont" was written for Karl Vietor's course on Goethe.
The essay on Nietzsche was submitted for the Barrett Wendell
Prize. "Prometheus" is the essay I wrote for F.O. Matthiessens's
course on Tragedy, Comparative Literature 3.