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Article: Robertson Davies, the shrewd storyteller
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- December 5, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1995 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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As a rule, I never tape-record interviews. But when I went to
Toronto in 1988 to profile one of my favorite writers, Robertson
Davies, I decided to make an exception, for fear of butchering a
particularly sage aphorism or esoteric reference.
The device was in my coat pocket as I entered Davies' office. He
greeted me and rapidly hung my coat up, without noticing the
recorder. Before I could retrieve it from his closet, he smiled,
turning his white-bearded face from King Lear to Santa Claus.
"I'm glad you didn't bring a tape recorder," he said as I groped
for my notebook and pen. "You should listen selectively, take what
you think is important and filter out the rest."
That was one side of ...