Duke's resident wordsmith is fresh off publishing his most recent memoir, "Ardent Spirits: Leaving Home, Coming Back," detailing his experience as a Rhodes scholar and young Duke professor. The North Carolinian shares his thoughts about the importance of loyalty, his literary ambitions and his current state of mind.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? The loss of a child.
Where would you like to live? Rural Cornwallis Rd., Durham, N.C.
What is your idea of earthly happiness? Enduring marriage to a steadily rewarding partner (I've never married or been companioned for long).
The quality you most admire in a man? Loyalty.
The quality you most admire in a woman? Loyalty.
Your favorite virtue? Loyalty.
What is your favorite occupation? Writing memorably.
What would you have liked to be? A better man.
Your most marked characteristic? Investigative talking.
The quality you most like in a man? Physical beauty.
The quality you most like in a woman? Physical beauty.
What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes? Losing my mind.
What would you like to be? The most memorable American writer of my time.
What is your favorite color? Dark blue.
Who are your favorite prose writers? Ernest Hemingway, James Salter.
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction? Emma Bovary, Daisy Buchanan.
Who are your heroes in real life? Will Price Sr., Harold Parker (of the Duke history department).
What event in military history do you most admire? The Normandy landing.
What natural gift would you most like to possess? Playing the piano by ear.
How would you like to die? Painlessly in my sleep.
What is your present state of mind? In pain but at ease.
What is your motto? You'll only regret your economies.
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