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A
Letter that Changed My Life
I was about 30 years old and was working as a firefighter in
the South Bronx's Engine Co. 82. It was a restful Sunday and between alarms I
rushed to the office to read a copy of the New
York Times. I read an article on
the Book Review section which openly stated what I took to be a calumny
– that William Butler Yeats had gone beyond his Irishness and was forever to be
known as a universal poet. As I read it, my blood began to boil.
There were few things I was more proud of than my Irish
heritage, and ever since I first picked up a book of his poems from a shelf
when I was in the military, Yeats had been my favorite Irish writer, followed
by Sean O'Casey and James Joyce.
I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote out a letter of anger
to the editor. Throughout Yeats' poetry, his view of the world and the people
in it was basically Irish. He had lived his life and written his poetry through
the very essence of his Irish sensibility. It was offensive to think Irishness
was something to be transcended(超越).
I don't know why I felt it my duty to safeguard the
reputation of the world's greatest poet. I just knew that I had to write that
letter.
After my letter got published, I received a letter from The New Yorker, asking for an interview.
When my article Fireman Smith appeared
in that magazine, the editor of a large publishing firm called me, asking if I
was interested in writing a book about my life. I had little confidence to
write a whole book, though the subject was worthy. I wrote Report From Engine Co. 82 in six months, and it sold really well.
In the years that followed, I wrote three more best-sellers.
Being a writer had been far from my expectations. How had it
happened? I often found myself thinking about it, and my thoughts always came
back to that letter to the New York Times.
For me, the writing was a natural consequence of the passion I felt and the
subjects represented the great values burning within me as I wrote.
Over the years, my five children have come to me with one
dilemma or another. My answer is always the same. Think about what you're
feeling and measure the heat of the fire in your heart, for that is your
passion. Your education and your experience will guide you toward making a
right decision, but your passion will enable you to make a difference in
whatever you do. That's what I learned the day I stood up for Ireland's
greatest poet.