What One Man Said to Another: Talks with Richard Selzer

by Peter Josyph, Richard Selzer

What One Man Said to Another is, on one level, a series of extended conversations between friends. On another, it is a spoken autobiography of Richard Selzer, respected surgeon and writer, as recorded by New York 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; the unforgettable evening when he saved the life of author John Cheever; his agonizing courtroom experience during a malpractice suit; the ostracism of colleagues as he trained himself, every night for eight years, to become a writer; and his encounters with notable personalities, such as Orson Welles, John Houseman, Richard Ellmann, Josef Albers and even one of "Charlie's Angels." The sparkling wit, profound insight, and unique poetic vision that characterize works such as Raising the Dead, Taking the World in for Repairs, Mortal Lessons, and all of Selzer's writing are present in every one of these lively conversations.

263 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1994

Reviews

[James Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Dr. Selzer's stories very much but I didn't much care for the interaction the doctor and his interviewer. Either Peter Josyph was uncannily in tune with Selzer as a person (which I highly doubt) or Selzer was being very accomodating to Josyph's apparent insights. However the conversation took place, it was difficult to witness at times. I would guess that the author wrote his fake insights into the converstaion and that distracted from the authenticity of the interview.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A relatively interesting, sometimes bawdy, set of "conversations" that purport to be between Selzer and Josyph - with the understanding that many are somewhat contrived by the author.