My wife Gloria is 90 and IF ONLY, my new novel, is
dedicated to her. She has been the most important individual – as inspiration,
editor and manager - of my life. You look at her photos as a young woman from
the time when we met (she was 36 at the time) and you understand why In Praise
of Older Women turned out to be such a lively novel. The articles reproduced
here, especially the one written by her daughter Martha, give you a glimpse of
our lives and her contribution. For the last few years I have to do some of the
things she did for us - and I’m horrified to realise how hard she worked. The
photos in which we look our age were made only a few days ago. As you can see
we are still laughing, even after being together for over 54 years.
Here is the secret of enduring marriages: the couples
must feel passionate about the same things. She was the first woman I met for
whom literature was the most important thing in life. You have to be passionate
about things outside of yourselves. Our favourite pastime was walking in the
museums and great churches of Europe. She is also the most intelligent
woman I have ever met.
