"One of the earliest and greatest cultural critics, Leslie Fiedler never wrote an autobiography, but these fascinating reminiscences reveal much about his life and work. Leslie Fiedler highlights his World War II experiences, his life as an academic, his fellow writers, and his complicated feelings about being Jewish. A provocateur, enfant terrible, raconteur, and disturber of the peace, Fiedler was an American original, offering a unique vision of a professor: 'a man whose province was the whole world of books and who is completely contemptuous of the standards of the timid people around him.' Whether one agrees or disagrees with Leslie Fiedler's pronouncements, he is always brilliant." — Jeffrey Berman, University at Albany, State University of New York"This conversation brings back to life Leslie Fiedler's unique voice— American, Jewish, literary—promising to capture a new audience and reconnect with an older one. This book is another step toward the rediscovery and re-examination of a critical genius." — Samuele F. S. Pardini, editor of Writing Home: Selected World War II Letters of Leslie A. Fiedler