It's not often that debut novels get praise from such literary lions as Frank Norman Mailer, among others. But Peter Pouncey is no ordinary author. At age 67, Pouncey is a distinguished classicist and has served as the President of Amherst College and as Dean of Columbia College. But until now, he'd never written a book. His first novel, Rules for Old Men Waiting, tells the story of a dying man, Robert MacIver, struggling to come to terms with the death of his wife and his own growing infirmity. To survive, he constructs a set of rules to guide him toward death with purpose and a clear mind, and finds ways to make peace with his memories, and find meaning in his final days. Author Peter Pouncey on writing, remembering, and keeping the imagination alive.
