In response to:
A Prodigal Struggle with Demons from the April 23, 2015 issue
To the Editors:
The youthful photos of Henry and Muriel Roth [Nathaniel Rich, “A Prodigal Struggle with Demons,” NYR, April 23] reminded me of the good hours spent in their little mobile home in Albuquerque (circa 1970). Henry seldom spoke of his work in progress but told of his poultry farming days and of his recent trip to the site of the autos-da-fé in Madrid. He also remarked on his “great mistake” in joining the Party.
Muriel and I played four-hand works on her piano there and in our home. She once asked me if I was “a good Marxist.” I replied, truthfully, that I didn’t know enough. (Later, I learned that Che Guevara said something similar.) What fascinating lives!
Philip Bock
Albuquerque, New Mexico
