Leonard had very graciously extended an
open-ended invitation to me to come to Denmark whenever I wanted, for as long I wanted.
Whatever initial nervousness that I as a novice biographer felt in anticipation of the
momentous encounter was quickly put to rest by Leonard and his wife Phyllis, who welcomed
me into their beautiful home, with its old-fashioned thatched roof, half-timber walls, and
contemplative interior courtyard. I stayed with the Weisgards for eleven days, during
which time Leonard and I, and sometimes Phyllis too, talked for hours at a stretch, with
time out for memorable excursions in and around Copenhagen, including visits with Leonard
and Phyllis’s children and friends. Rather than use a tape recorder, I kept a
notebook in which, each evening, I recorded details of the day’s conversations. The
following are excerpts:
MWB said to LW: “You speak as though you were translating from another
language.” She would become exasperated by the slightly halting way in which he
expressed his thoughts. LW says he has always found speaking about his ideas a little
difficult.
MWB poked fun at the “easy-to-read” school of children’s
literature because she thought there ought to be some mystery in the words children read
in their books. |
