William Shawn, R I P. (New Yorker magazine editor) (Obituary)

Mr. John O'Sullivan

National Review

Dear John:

You asked me to do an obit on William Shawn, and I replied that I could not write a formal piece about him because of the odd intimacy of my experiences with him. I speak of a man on whom I laid eyes twice in my life.

The day the newspapers carried the news of his death a letter from him arrived at the office. It was handwritten and had been mailed the day before he died. I quote it in full:

Dear Mr. Buckley:

Thank you for sending me copies of WindFall and In Search of…