Peter Lightner

August 14, 2002

In the archives I came across the following chatacterization: “my heinous editor, Mr. Wesley Adams at Farrar, Straus and Giroux.” The edges of my manuscript are still smoldering from his reply (he likes the ms, but he has utter contempt for the entire category in which it falls). Is he heinous enough that I shouldn’t send him mss that are bereft of the sweetness upon which he choked? Now that I’ve opened the door to him, I just want to know if it in fact opens into an abyss from which my cries for help will go forever unheard, , or if I should walk through it again. Any thoughts? The litereate youth of America await your guidance.

Of course, Wes Adams is not heinous. I was merely needling him in a friendly way because I knew he visited this forum. Perfectly decent and adequate man is Wes Adams. And Farrar, Straus and Giroux is a fine old company.