Essays from the Nick of Time (18 page)

Though I am wary of institutional loyalty, in this instance, an exception is in order. Many of these essays first appeared in
Harper’s Magazine,
and I am deeply grateful to that prickly, irreverent, essential publication for regularly providing me with a brass trumpet and a lot of rope; that I have managed to make a little noise without hanging myself conclusively is largely due to the diligence of a number of individuals there, primarily Ben Metcalf and Colin Harrison, whom I thank for their guidance and their kindness. May the magazine that has supported us all, that first appeared a year before
Moby-Dick
was published, continue, unbowed, for another 150 years.

Of the many personal debts incurred, I want to single out my debt to Sacvan Bercovitch. At times, in these essays, I’ve drafted off his brilliant work in American literature and culture, just as, in a larger sense, I’ve drafted, these thirty-five years, off his fascination with the world, his nose for the absurd, his humor, his grace.

Photo: Maya Slouka

Mark Slouka
is the author of a collection of stories,
Lost Lake;
a book of nonfiction,
War of the
Worlds;
and two novels,
God’s Fool
and
The Visible World.
A contributing editor to
Harper’s
Magazine,
he lives with his wife and children outside of New York City.