The 60th anniversary day

Oh how the mighty have fallen! almost 20 years ago this is what we looked like. Merwin looks the same now. It saddens me to see the change in my whole bearing as well as my appearance. Dan Specter sent this to us. At the end of this post I have the announcement of the talk I WILL give in April. Come if you can; all are welcome.

Dear Friends and Family,

A quiet day for our actual 60th anniversary. Bearing gifts as always, Kathryn made a brief visit, about an hour, but afterward I had to lie down. Everything, even simple pleasures, is tiring, exhausting even. Kathryn retired as of the end of last semester, and she is vibrant with the pleasures of her freedom—for travel, grandchildren, and the wealth of NYC's amenities. And delighted with her freedom from having to drive from NYC to the college and back and from facing the ever-less-well-prepared students.

Early in the evening we went to a very nearby upscale restaurant, "fork & vine." We chose it because they serve small plates as well as regular meals. We selected 2 small plates each and a salad to share. The food was ample and good, with low-keyed and elegant service. By the time we left, many young people had arrived. It's clearly not a place for old folks, but we were welcomed beautifully. I had to rise and walk around several times because of my back pain. We told our waiter (one of the owners, I think) that we were celebrating our 60th anniversary—and though we were very full by then, he brought us a beautiful and delicious ice-cream dessert on the house, which we polished off in moments. Exhausting. But I was so happy to go out for dinner for the first time since July 22nd!

I am still working on the sentinels essay: every time I read it I find something I need to change—add or subtract. I enjoy this shaping process. Through the magic of email, I exchanged email about a play focused on two of the sentinels with a scholar (now on sabbatical in New Zealand) I know who had seen the play and who had written a marvelous review. I hope to somehow enfold it into my essay.

Below I am attaching the announcement of my talk at the NYPL. I keep imagining myself walking with Merwin from our NYC apartment to the 42nd Street entrance of the library. I get to the venue for the talk and do it—an hour of demonstrating hamletworks.org. Then, elated by the talk itself and seeing so many people I love there, I walk back to the apartment and rest. Will I be able to make this happen by imagining it? I hope so. I think so.

Love to all
Bernice

Here is the copy for the announcement:

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street New York, NY 10018-2788

On Tuessday, April 12, 2011 at 1:15 pm in the South Court Auditorium
Bernice W. Kliman will present an illustrated lecture on Hamletworks.org for Everyone!

Hamletworks.org gathers and analyzes data, whole works, and more every week! It offers deep levels of information on Hamlet and related works for scholars, students, theater practitioners, and fans. The site is a continuing work in process and brings together an important body of information about Shakespeare’s play that will interest casual students as well as serious scholars, and it will grow increasingly valuable as it continues to develop.

The original editor of the New Variorum Hamlet, and currently the Coordinating Editor of hamletworks.org, Bernice W. Kliman is Professor Emeritus of English at Nassau Community College. Active in Shakespeare scholarship, she has edited The Enfolded "Hamlets": Parallel Texts of and {Q2} each with Unique Elements Bracketed (2004), and written Hamlet: Film, Television, and Audio Performance, among many others. She is currently a Writer in Residence in the Library’s Allen Room.

I welcome your support!