The Golden Willow (22 page)
Authors: Harry Bernstein
There is one more touch that I have added to make it all complete.
This is a bronze plaque that I had made for the bench. It has the names of Ruby and myself inscribed on it, and underneath are the words that express my feelings about Ruby and our life together. They come from the immortal Helen Keller, who more than anyone knew the true meaning of love.
What we once enjoyed and deeply loved
,
we can never lose
,
for all that we love deeply becomes part of us
.
I am deeply indebted to a number of people for the help they gave me in making this book possible. To my editor, Jill Schwartzman, for her valuable suggestions, and to her predecessor, Robin Rolewicz, whose enthusiasm in the initial stages of the book gave me the validation I needed. To my daughter Adraenne for her apt criticisms and especially suggesting a new and more appropriate title for the book. To my son Charles for his watchdog attitude over my welfare. To my agent Dan Lazar and to the Guggenheim Fellowship for their support, which was so greatly needed. And to the many readers of my books who have written me and have asked for this one.
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR
Ninety-nine-year-old H
ARRY
B
ERNSTEIN
immigrated to the United States with his family after World War I. He is the author of
The Invisible Wall
and
The Dream
and has been published in “My Turn” in
Newsweek
. Bernstein lives in Brick, New Jersey, where he is working on another book.
This is a work of nonfiction. Some names and certain
identifying details have been changed.
Copyright © 2009 by Harry Bernstein
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ballantine Books,
an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
B
ALLANTINE
and colophon are registered trademarks
of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bernstein, Harry.
The golden willow: the story of a lifetime of love / Harry Bernstein.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-345-51526-1
1. Bernstein, Harry, 1910- 2. Bernstein, Harry, 1910—Marriage.
3. Authors, American—20th century—Biography. 4. Jews—United
States—Biography. I. Title.
PS3552.E7345Z46 2009
818′.54—dc22
[B] 2009002146
v3.0