Alva Review-Courier -

When Henry Roth graduated from high school, he enrolled in the City College of New York. While there, he discovered that he had the ability to write interesting stories.

An essay he drafted in his freshman English composition class was so good that his professor submitted it to the school’s literary journal, which published it.

Roth enjoyed explaining that, regardless of the literary quality of his essay, the professor gave him a “D” in the class because Henry did not adhere strictly to the assignment’s instructions. But, still, he was now a published author.

In time, Henry began accompanying...