Love this! Mr. Buckley had more or less receded from the front lines when he passed, but at his peak I always wondered how he could be replaced. The answer being, of course, he couldn’t. Many very capable conservative voices have risen in his wake, but none could replace his. His voice was, you might say, the uniquest. 😉
I read Mr. Buckley for years, ever since I first subscribed to National Review in 1973, when I was in college. But what I knew of him was his public face — the words he polished and scrubbed before he sent them out to the world. It was always hard to imagine what he was in private, and his social world was so different from mine that I couldn’t picture that either. Sometimes it seemed as if Mr. Buckley and I had everything in common — shared values and a love of playing Bach — and yet nothing in common.
Oh Jay! Most often, you make me think; this note makes me remember.
My correspondence with the Buckley family was much shorter than yours.
I submitted a piece for publication to NR, and got a brief rejection note from Pat.
Although the rejection disappointed, I thought it was keen to be turned down "in person."
Love this! Mr. Buckley had more or less receded from the front lines when he passed, but at his peak I always wondered how he could be replaced. The answer being, of course, he couldn’t. Many very capable conservative voices have risen in his wake, but none could replace his. His voice was, you might say, the uniquest. 😉
By all means keep these emails coming, Jay!
I read Mr. Buckley for years, ever since I first subscribed to National Review in 1973, when I was in college. But what I knew of him was his public face — the words he polished and scrubbed before he sent them out to the world. It was always hard to imagine what he was in private, and his social world was so different from mine that I couldn’t picture that either. Sometimes it seemed as if Mr. Buckley and I had everything in common — shared values and a love of playing Bach — and yet nothing in common.
What a beautiful note, Paul. Thank you.