Note: Now Cathy has formally announced this, I will say how worried I have been by the decline of Neil’s health. For about five years, it’s been one thing after another. I hope that he will make a good recovery and be able to go home to his loved ones.
I will add that Neil has been one of the most significant libertarians of the past forty years. Of course, we need our economists and philosophers. But we also need our poets – that is, we need those who can inspire as well as explain. In more than thirty novels, Neil has reached out to the world at large, spreading the good news of what our lives could be like without the State and its attendant institutions of control. So far as libertarianism has a presence in popular culture, it is in large part thanks to Neil.
My own debt is more personal. I owe much to Neil’s advice and moral support. It isn’t from jealousy or rivalry that writers tend not to comment on each other. We are all trying to make a living, or just wrapped up in our own work, and paying attention to someone else is a diversion from this. Even so, Neil has always been astonishingly generous with his time.
In brief, my very best wishes to Neil and to all his loved ones. They are in my thoughts.
Oh, and, if anyone wants to go beyond thoughts, you can send some money to Neil and his family.
Sean
Cathy Smith Writes:
To our friends who have patiently refrained from asking, Neil suffered a stroke on June 28. He is currently in an excellent acute rehabilitation program at a facility in Northern Colorado and is making good progress. I’m happy to share information. If you want updates, please let me know by email and I’ll reply. Giovanni and I are working on making the house (built in 1949) accessible for Neil’s eventual return.
Neil, Cathy, & Giovanni
cathylz@netzero.com
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