What One Man Said to Another: Talks with Richard Selzer

Summary

What One Man Said to Another is, on one level, a series of extended conversations between friends. On another, it is the spoken autobiography of Richard Selzer, respected surgeon and writer, as recorded by artist and writer Peter Josyph.

In these pages, we learn firsthand of Selzer’s life as a surgeon in an isolated village in Korea in the early 1950s; of the unforgettable evening when he saved the life of author John Cheever; of his agonizing courtroom experience during a malpractice suit; of the ostracism of his colleagues as he trained himself every night for eight years to become a writer; and of his encounters with such notable personalities as Orson Welles, John Houseman, Richard Ellmann, and even one of “Charlie’s Angels.”

The sparkling wit, profound insight, and unique poetic vision that characterize Selzer’s writings are present in every one of these lively conversations.