Alva Review-Courier -

By the late 1930s, Henry Roth was no longer trying to write fiction. His novel, “Call It Sleep” – published in 1934 – had been a critical success but soon thereafter Roth abandoned the thought of a literary career.

For one thing, he had found a new love interest. In 1938, Roth attended an artists’ retreat near Saratoga Springs, New York, where he met and fell in love with a musical scholar named Muriel Parker.

Roth broke off his 12-year love affair with Eda Lou Walton and, before long, married Parker. They eventually had two sons and stayed happily together until her death in 1990.

Once marrie...