Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Helene Hanff

Helene Hanff (April 15, 1916 – April 9, 1997) was an American author, playwright, and screenwriter renowned for her epistolary 84, Charing Cross Road (1970), a collection of letters exchanged over two decades with , a bookseller at the London shop Marks & Co., which captured the warmth of transatlantic friendship amid and was later adapted into a play, television drama, and 1987 film starring and . Born in to Arthur and Miriam Levy Hanff, a shirt salesman and his wife who shared a passion for theater, she grew up during the in a family that prioritized cultural outings despite financial hardship. Hanff briefly attended on a one-year before becoming largely self-educated through voracious reading at public libraries, an approach that fueled her lifelong love of literature, particularly the works of English authors like and . In 1938, at age 22, she moved to , where she won a fellowship from the Theatre Guild's Bureau of New Plays and worked in publicity for the organization while writing over 20 unproduced plays throughout the 1940s. To support herself, she transitioned to television scriptwriting in the 1950s, contributing to acclaimed anthology series such as and , which honed her concise, witty style. By the 1960s, Hanff had published several children's books on American history, including The Signing of the Constitution (1961) and The Early Settlers in America: , , and (1965), aimed at young readers to make historical events accessible and engaging. Her career shifted toward personal nonfiction in the , with Underfoot in Show Business (1962, reissued 1979) offering a humorous of her struggles in New York's theater world, followed by The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street (1973), a diary of her first trip to in 1971, where she finally visited the now-shuttered after the success of her breakthrough book. Later works included (1977), a loving portrait of neighborhoods, and Q's Legacy (1985), reflecting on her literary influences and the mentorship she imagined from Quiller-Couch. From 1978 to 1985, Hanff contributed monthly 5-minute vignettes to BBC Radio's Woman's Hour, delivering stories on American life that charmed international audiences. Never married and childless, she lived modestly in a one-bedroom on Manhattan's for decades, embodying the independent, book-loving spirit that endeared her to readers. Hanff died of pneumonia in at age 80, leaving her papers—including correspondence and manuscripts—to Libraries, where they preserve her legacy as a voice of unpretentious literary passion.

Early Life

Family Background and Childhood

Helene Hanff was born on April 15, 1916, in , , to Arthur Hanff, a salesman and former performer who had aspired to a stage career, and Miriam Levy Hanff, who managed the family household. The Hanffs were a working-class Jewish family, with Arthur's occupation providing modest stability amid broader economic challenges. Hanff grew up as the youngest of three siblings, with two older brothers, in a household deeply passionate about theater despite the financial constraints of the in . Her father's enthusiasm for led the family to attend plays weekly, often secured through bartering new shirts with theater box-office managers, instilling in young Hanff a lifelong love for performance and . These economic hardships, including the loss of stability common to many during the era, cultivated her resilience and resourcefulness from an early age. During her childhood and teenage years in , Hanff discovered literature through self-directed reading at public libraries, bypassing formal guidance to explore classic works that ignited her interest in writing. As a teenager, she delved into authors like and , whose prose and ideas sparked her creative aspirations and shaped her distinctive voice.

Education and Early Aspirations

Hanff received a one-year to in in 1934, where she studied . She attended for only one year, dropping out in 1935 due to her family's financial constraints amid the and her dissatisfaction with the program's emphasis, which failed to address her growing interest in and writing. Unable to continue formal , Hanff turned to self-directed learning, devouring books from Philadelphia's libraries in a methodical approach that took her through the shelves from "A" to "Z." Her reading focused heavily on , biographies, and plays, which she accessed freely to build her knowledge of the English canon. This autodidactic pursuit was shaped by influential critics, including George Saintsbury's histories of English and Sir —known as ""—whose On the Art of Writing provided structured guidance on appreciating and analyzing classic texts, serving as her primary literary mentor despite never meeting him. Hanff's early aspirations centered on becoming a professional , fueled by her family's enthusiasm for theater and exposure to shows and films during her childhood. At age 19, she penned her first play, channeling her passion into dramatic writing as a path to creative fulfillment. In 1938, at age 22, she relocated to to chase these ambitions, arriving with determination to break into the theater world. Upon arriving in , Hanff encountered steep challenges, including consistent rejections of her play submissions by agents who dismissed her work, and grinding that compelled her to subsist on odd jobs such as filing and to cover basic expenses. These early struggles tested her resolve but reinforced her commitment to writing amid financial insecurity and professional setbacks.

Professional Career

Theater and Television Writing

Hanff arrived in in 1938 as the winner of a prestigious playwriting fellowship sponsored by the Theatre Guild, which provided her with an and a modest to pursue her dramatic ambitions. She settled into a cramped, furnished ground-floor apartment in Hell's Kitchen, where the heat was turned off during the day, forcing her to bundle up while working in the cold. Largely self-taught through voracious reading of classic literature, Hanff drew on this autodidactic background to shape her dramatic style, emphasizing character-driven narratives over intricate plots. Over the next two decades, Hanff submitted over 20 plays to agents and producers, but all were rejected, and none reached production on or elsewhere. To support herself amid these setbacks, she took on freelance script-reading for film studios, earning meager pay, and supplemented this with odd jobs and editing gigs that barely covered her rent in the rundown neighborhood. By the early , as production boomed in , Hanff transitioned to scripting for anthology series, finding modest success in the nascent medium. She earned credits on programs, including dramatic adaptations for Playhouse 90—such as her 1958 teleplay of The Male Animal, based on the stage play by and Elliott Nugent—and episodes of The Adventures of Ellery Queen, where she specialized in "arty murders" involving artistic settings and clues. Other contributions included work for Hallmark Hall of Fame, adapting literary works into hour-long dramas that showcased her skill in concise, evocative storytelling. Hanff's television career peaked in the mid-, when remained the hub for live broadcasts, allowing her to refine her craft through rapid revisions and on-set collaborations. However, as production increasingly shifted to for filmed series by the late , opportunities dwindled, prompting her to pivot toward freelance editing and prose writing to sustain her livelihood in the changing industry. These years of rejection and adaptation, later chronicled in her memoir Underfoot in Show Business, highlighted the grit required to persist in a competitive field dominated by well-connected insiders.

Book Authorship and Key Correspondences

In the early , following the decline of her writing career amid industry shifts, Helene Hanff transitioned to book authorship, drawing on her experiences in theater and freelance work to craft memoirs and essays. Her first book, Underfoot in Show Business (1961), served as a humorous recounting her struggles as an aspiring in and , including repeated rejections that motivated her pivot to prose. Published by , it captured the gritty realities of life and her determination amid financial hardship, marking her initial foray into writing. A pivotal element in Hanff's development as an author was her transatlantic correspondence with the booksellers at Marks & Co., located at in . On October 5, 1949, Hanff, seeking affordable editions of rare amid postwar , sent her first letter to the shop after spotting their advertisement in the Saturday Review of Literature. This initiated a 20-year epistolary exchange primarily with , the shop's chief buyer, which evolved from transactional book orders—focusing on titles by authors like and Thomas Hazlitt—into a warm personal friendship marked by shared cultural insights and small gifts, such as Hanff sending nylons and ham to the staff during Britain's austerity years. The correspondence continued until Doel's sudden death from on December 22, 1968, after which Hanff learned of the shop's closure in 1970 due to . Deeply affected, she finally visited in June 1971, her first trip abroad, where she met Doel's family and explored the now-empty site, an experience that reinforced her bond with the city's literary heritage. Hanff's writing process for her breakthrough works centered on compiling and editing these authentic letters into cohesive narratives, preserving their candid, conversational tone to highlight epistolary intimacy. With permission from Doel's family, she shaped the exchanges into publishable form, emphasizing themes of Anglo-American cultural exchange—such as differing wartime experiences and mutual appreciation for literature—and a profound passion for as bridges across distances. This approach allowed her to blend factual correspondence with reflective commentary, creating an accessible style that resonated with readers seeking authentic human connections. Throughout the 1960s, Hanff sustained her career through freelance articles for magazines like , often on literary and historical topics, while producing children's books on American history to make ends meet. By the and into the , her focus evolved toward essayistic and memoir forms, including radio essays for BBC Woman's Hour (1978–1985) that explored life and transatlantic observations, solidifying her reputation as a witty, introspective prose stylist. This period saw her leverage the success of her epistolary works to produce reflective volumes on reading and personal growth, prioritizing narrative depth over dramatic scripts.

Literary Works

84, Charing Cross Road

84, Charing Cross Road originated from Helene Hanff's habit of seeking out-of-print books through advertisements in literary magazines, leading her to contact Marks & Co., an bookstore at in , in October 1949. The book was first published in the United States in 1970 by Grossman Publishers and in the in 1971 by André Deutsch. Initial sales were modest, but the slim volume—97 pages—achieved widespread popularity through word-of-mouth recommendations, leading to multiple reprints and recognition as a New York Times bestseller by the mid-1970s. As an epistolary memoir, 84, Charing Cross Road compiles selected letters exchanged over two decades (1949–1969) between Hanff and , the chief buyer at Marks & Co., along with correspondence involving Doel's widow , their daughter , and other bookstore staff. The content explores themes of transatlantic friendship, the shared passion for literature—evident in Hanff's requests for works such as William Hazlitt's essays and John Henry Newman's The Idea of a University—and the hardships of postwar austerity in , where persisted into the 1950s and Hanff sent care packages of ham, eggs, and stockings to alleviate shortages. Hanff's letters portray the bookstore employees as an extended "family," reflecting her growing affection for their reserved British demeanor and personal updates amid the evolving correspondence. The book received critical acclaim for its warmth, authenticity, and ability to restore faith in human connection through simple exchanges, as noted in a contemporary New York Times review that praised its beguiling portrayal of literary camaraderie amid cultural differences. Hanff's humorous and candid voice—marked by exclamatory, unfiltered prose—lends a distinctive charm, contrasting with the polite restraint of her correspondents and highlighting the epistolary form's intimacy. Following publication, Hanff visited in 1971 for the first time, where she met Doel's widow and daughters, fulfilling a long-held dream deferred by financial constraints and Doel's death in 1968.

Additional Publications

In the 1960s, Hanff published several children's books on American , aimed at young readers to make historical events accessible and engaging. These included The Signing of the (1965) and The Early Settlers in : (1966), published by various educational presses. In addition to her seminal work , Helene Hanff produced several other books that showcased her witty, conversational prose and drew on her personal and cultural observations. The success of 84, Charing Cross Road in the 1970s provided Hanff with expanded publishing opportunities, allowing her to revisit earlier writings and explore new formats. Her debut book, Underfoot in Show Business (1961), is a humorous chronicling her struggles as a young in from the late 1930s through the 1950s, blending anecdotes of poverty, theatrical ambitions, and friendships with sharp self-deprecating humor. Originally published by J. B. Lippincott, it was reissued in 1989 with updates by , reflecting Hanff's enduring affection for the era's vibrant yet unforgiving scene. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street (1973), published by Putnam, is a diary of Hanff's first visit to in 1971, following the success of 84, Charing Cross Road. It recounts her meetings with Doel's family, explorations of literary , and reflections on the places and people from her correspondence, blending travelogue with personal insight. Apple of My Eye (1977), published by Doubleday, serves as an informal guide to City's landmarks and history, intertwining factual walking tours with Hanff's personal anecdotes and enthusiasm for her hometown. Updated and reissued in 1988 by Moyer Bell, the book captures Hanff's love for the city's eclectic neighborhoods, from historic sites to everyday haunts, in a lighthearted style that invites readers to explore alongside her. In Q's Legacy (1985), released by Little, Brown and Company, Hanff pays tribute to the influence of Sir —known as ""—whose lectures shaped her self-education in during her early years. The memoir recounts her intellectual journey and indirectly touches on the origins of her transatlantic correspondence, emphasizing themes of mentorship and the joy of reading with Hanff's characteristic warmth and candor. Letter from New York (1992), published by Moyer Bell, compiles Hanff's essays originally broadcast on Radio's in the late 1970s and early 1980s, offering lively observations on American daily life, customs, and quirks from her perspective as a . These pieces, delivered in her engaging radio style, highlight cultural contrasts between the U.S. and U.K. while celebrating the vibrancy of urban existence. Beyond these major works, Hanff contributed forewords to literary editions and scattered essays on writing and , often appearing in periodicals or anthologies that aligned with her interests in theater and . In 2025, adapted Underfoot in Show Business as a dramatic reading in its Drama on 4 series, bringing Hanff's comedic of Broadway aspirations to a new audio audience.

Personal Life and Legacy

Relationships and Daily Life

Helene Hanff never married and had , choosing instead to nurture a life centered on platonic friendships and intellectual pursuits rather than romantic entanglements, as evidenced by the absence of such details in her personal accounts and contemporary biographies. She shared close familial ties with her parents, and Hanff, in a household that valued theater and literature during her Philadelphia upbringing, though no immediate family survived her. In , Hanff formed warm bonds with her neighbors in her apartment building, often incorporating their stories—such as those involving pets and local quirks—into her observations of city life. Her friendships extended across the Atlantic, particularly with the family of , including his widow Nora and daughter Sheila, whom she met during a 1971 visit to , transforming professional correspondence into enduring personal connections. Hanff's daily routines revolved around her modest one-room studio apartment at 305 East 72nd Street in Manhattan's , where she resided from the 1950s until health issues necessitated a move to a in her later years. There, amid overflowing bookshelves stocked with treasures from her bookseller, she worked in comfortable disarray—donning moth-eaten sweaters, surrounded by an ashtray and a glass of —while immersing herself in reading, writing, and savoring classic films. Despite the financial success of her later works, she clung to frugal habits, picnicking in and keeping a keen eye on local sports and politics, reflecting her grounded, unpretentious lifestyle. Occasional trips to , beginning with her first visit in 1971 to promote her book and reconnect with friends, provided rare escapes from her routine. Known for her outspoken and humorous personality, Hanff embodied an spirit, shunning academic circles and formal social scenes in favor of candid, self-deprecating wit that endeared her to friends and readers alike. In her later years, she faced health challenges, including and complications from long-term , which contributed to her resilience amid physical decline.

Death and Cultural Impact

Helene Hanff died on April 9, 1997, in at the age of 80 from . A private service was held for her, and she left no children or immediate survivors. Following her death, her papers are archived at Libraries. Hanff's cultural impact endures through numerous adaptations of her seminal work 84, Charing Cross Road. The book was first adapted as a 1975 BBC television play in the Play for Today series. It premiered on Broadway in 1982 at the Nederlander Theatre, starring Ellen Burstyn as Hanff and Joseph Maher as Frank Doel. The story reached a wider audience with the 1987 film adaptation directed by David Jones, featuring Anne Bancroft as Hanff and Anthony Hopkins as Doel. Commemorative plaques honor her legacy: one at in , installed in 1991 to mark the site of Marks & Co. booksellers, and another at her former apartment building at 305 East 72nd Street, unveiled in 2016. Her influence is further recognized through posthumous honors and ongoing appreciation. In 2011, Stephen R. Pastore, a longtime friend and neighbor, published the biography Helene Hanff: A Life, drawing on personal recollections and archival materials. Hanff received an entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as a and , updated in 2025 to reflect her transatlantic cultural significance. In 2025, broadcast a dramatic adaptation of her 1961 memoir Underfoot in Show Business, highlighting her early struggles in theater. Her books maintain enduring popularity in book clubs and academic studies of Anglo-American relations, often cited for their warmth and wit. Scholars celebrate Hanff for bridging personal memoir with cultural history, particularly through her innovative use of epistolary form that humanizes exchanges during and after .

References

  1. [1]
    Helene Hanff; Author of '84, Charing Cross Road' - Los Angeles Times
    Apr 13, 1997 · She was a prolific and eventually successful writer for television and children. Her work was barely noticed until 1970, when she wrote “84, ...Missing: notable | Show results with:notable
  2. [2]
    Helene Hanff | Author | LibraryThing
    Helene Hanff was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her parents loved the theater and even during the Great Depression managed to find ways to get tickets ...
  3. [3]
    [PDF] Hanff, Helene. Papers, 1931-1995. 1 linear ft. (124 items in 3 boxes ...
    Helene M. Hanff, 1916-1997, author and playwright wrote television scripts in the 1950s, American history books for children in the 1960s, and other books ...
  4. [4]
    Honest to a Fault | National Endowment for the Humanities
    In 1951, New York writer Helene Hanff fired off a letter of complaint to Marks & Co., a bookshop at 84 Charing Cross Road in London that often sold her ...Missing: biography | Show results with:biography
  5. [5]
    Helene Hanff, Wry Epistler Of '84 Charing,' Dies at 80
    Apr 11, 1997 · Helene (pronounced heh-LAYNE) Hanff was born on April 15, 1916, in Philadelphia, the daughter of Arthur and Miriam Levy Hanff. She grew up ...
  6. [6]
    Helene Hanff – Author of 84, Charing Cross Road
    Mar 11, 2024 · Helene Hanff (1916 – 1997) was an American author and playwright. She is best known for her book 84, Charing Cross Road.
  7. [7]
    Helene Hanff and Q's Legacy - Arthur Quiller-Couch
    This study is not a biography of Helene Hanff: her own books form a complete autobiography, except for personal details about which she was always reticent ...<|control11|><|separator|>
  8. [8]
    Helene Hanff - Biography - IMDb
    Growing up during the depression in Philadelphia, she was in a family that lived for the theater - her father was a shirt salesman who took the family to plays ...Missing: early | Show results with:early
  9. [9]
    Helene Marjorie Hanff (1916-1997) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree
    Jan 31, 2022 · Helene Hanff was an American author of semi-biographical stories. She was born and raised in Philadelphia. The family regularly attended the ...<|separator|>
  10. [10]
    A life in books: Helene Hanff's 84 Charing Cross Road
    Jul 13, 2015 · The last letter in the book is written by a secretary (who didn't know Helene), to tell her that Mr Doel died some weeks ago from peritonitis, ...
  11. [11]
  12. [12]
    Helene Hanff; An American writer who became the toast of London
    Aug 23, 1983 · When the actor learned who her brother was, he turned and said, ''You tell your sister that she's the toast of London.'' What made being the ...Missing: siblings | Show results with:siblings
  13. [13]
    LETTERS BROUGHT HER TO BROADWAY - The New York Times
    Dec 5, 1982 · And so Helene Hanff embarked upon a self-imposed agenda of reading ... What do you want from me - a nice little Jewish girl from Philadelphia with ...Missing: background | Show results with:background
  14. [14]
    Q's Legacy – Helene Hanff - Stuck in a Book
    Apr 1, 2013 · Most of this book is about the writing, success, and aftermath of 84, Charing Cross Road – but before I get to that, I’ll address the title.
  15. [15]
    CTVA US Anthology - "Playhouse 90" (CBS) Season 2 (1957-58)
    Tony Randall introduces this drama, set in a high-tech future society ... Written by Helene Hanff Based on James Thurber & Elliott Nugent's stage play ...
  16. [16]
    Helene Hanff - Artist - MacDowell
    She is best known as the author of the book 84, Charing Cross Road, which became the basis for a stage play, television play, and film of the same name. She ...Missing: notable | Show results with:notable
  17. [17]
    Underfoot in Show Business by Helene Hanff | Goodreads
    Rating 4.2 (868) Her career, which saw her move from writing unproduced plays to helping create some of the earliest television dramas to becoming a kind of professional New ...
  18. [18]
    Helene Hanff papers, 1931-1995 - Columbia University Libraries ...
    Helene M. Hanff, 1916-1997, author and playwright, wrote television scripts in the 1950s, American history books for children in the 1960s, and other books in ...
  19. [19]
    Who was Helene Hanff, Author of 84 Charing Cross Road? - Air Mail
    Jun 5, 2021 · She was born in 1916 in Philadelphia but landed in New York at 20, to scrape a living by her typewriter: Ellery Queen TV scripts, New Yorker ...Missing: background childhood
  20. [20]
    Two Stories That Unfold Through Letters - The New York Times
    Nov 11, 2023 · On Oct. 5, 1949, a struggling writer named Helene Hanff fired off a letter to a London bookshop, requesting secondhand copies of a few books she ...Missing: themes | Show results with:themes
  21. [21]
    Book Interview: Helene Hanff's cousin Jean introduces the reissued ...
    Oct 20, 2023 · Between 1978 and 1985, Helene Hanff recorded a series of essays about her beloved native city for BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. In these ...Missing: peak | Show results with:peak
  22. [22]
    Books of The Times - The New York Times
    Sep 11, 1970 · So 84, Charing Cross Road sends her her bills in two languages, English and American. The bookkeeping must have been a dilly. She is always 52 ...
  23. [23]
  24. [24]
  25. [25]
    The Collection of Letters That Became a New York Times Bestseller
    Jan 26, 2024 · The fact that it is such a slim volume (only 97 pages) makes its runaway success in 1970 even more amazing. 84, Charing Cross Road is a ...<|separator|>
  26. [26]
    84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff | Hachette UK - Virago Books
    This charming classic, first published in 1970, brings together twenty years of correspondence between Helene Hanff, a freelance writer living in New York City ...<|separator|>
  27. [27]
    Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff - Penguin Random House
    Free delivery over $20 30-day returnsThis memoir tells the remarkable story of how Helene Hanff came to write 84, Charing Cross Road, and how its success changed her.Missing: self- Elizabethan
  28. [28]
    Underfoot in Show Business - Helene Hanff - Google Books
    Account of the author's struggle to crash Broadway as a young playwright and the experiences and people she encountered.Missing: Overture Princess
  29. [29]
  30. [30]
    Apple of My Eye by Helene Hanff | Goodreads
    Rating 4.0 (720) This is the most lighthearted, informal guide book you'll ever read. Back in 1976, Hanff was commissioned to write the text for what was to be a book of ...
  31. [31]
    Apple of My Eye: Hanff, Helene - Books - Amazon.com
    Book details · Print length. 144 pages · Language. English · Publisher. Moyer Bell and its subsidiaries · Publication date. January 1, 1995 · Dimensions. 5.5 x 0.5 x ...
  32. [32]
    Q's Legacy - Helene Hanff - Google Books
    Bibliographic information ; Title, Q's Legacy ; Author, Helene Hanff ; Publisher, Little, Brown, 1985 ; ISBN, 0316343404, 9780316343404 ; Length, 177 pages.
  33. [33]
    Letter from New York : Hanff, Helene - Internet Archive
    Aug 9, 2011 · Publication date: 1992 ; Publisher: Mt. Kisco, N.Y. : Moyer Bell ; [New York] : Distributed by Rizzoli International Publications ; Collection ...<|control11|><|separator|>
  34. [34]
    Letter from New York: BBC Woman's Hour Broadcasts by Helene Hanff
    Rating 4.2 (777) First published in 1970, the epistolary work 84 Charing Cross Road chronicles her 20 years of correspondence with Frank Doel, the chief buyer for Marks & Co., a ...
  35. [35]
  36. [36]
    BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Underfoot in Show Business
    Helene Hanff's fascinating and funny memoir about life on the edge of show business as she attempts to make her way as a playwright on Broadway.
  37. [37]
    Obituary: Helene Hanff | The Independent
    Apr 14, 1997 · Helene Hanff, writer and broadcaster: born Philadelphia 15 April 1916; broadcaster, Woman's Hour, BBC 1978-85; author of Underfoot in Show Business 1961.
  38. [38]
    Paid Notice: Deaths HANFF, HELENE - The New York Times
    Apr 11, 1997 · She will be missed by family, friends and fans. Private service. Contributions to Authors League Fund, 330 West 42 Street, New York City 10036.Missing: funeral | Show results with:funeral
  39. [39]
    "Play for Today" 84, Charing Cross Road (TV Episode 1975) - IMDb
    Rating 7.6/10 (77) True story of a transatlantic business correspondence about used books that developed into a close friendship.
  40. [40]
    84 Charing Cross Road (Broadway, Nederlander Theatre, 1982)
    Ellen Burstyn. Helene Hanff (Original) ; Joseph Maher. Frank Doel (Original) ; Mark Chamberlin. William Humphries (Original) ; William Francis. George Martin ( ...
  41. [41]
    84 Charing Cross Road | Rotten Tomatoes
    Rating 85% (13) This film offers a superb screenplay adaptation of the play by James Roose-Evans, about a long-term real-life letter writing friendship between a NY Jewish ...<|control11|><|separator|>
  42. [42]
    Helene Hanff and Marks & Co. bronze plaque
    84 Charing Cross Road. The booksellers Marks & Co. were on this site which became world renowned through the book by Helen Hanff.
  43. [43]
    Helene Hanff: a Life - Amazon.com
    A biography of Helene Hanff, the author of 84 Charing Cross Road by a leading authority on her life and works. Pastore was a long-time friend and neighbor ...
  44. [44]