Strange Paradise

A New York Times Book Review New & Noteworthy Selection

"Grace Schulman makes me want to live to be four hundred years old, because she makes me feel there is so much out there, and it's unbearable to miss any of it."—Wallace Shawn

The romance of Grace Schulman and her husband, Jerome, a distinguished scientist, burgeons in New York’s Greenwich Village amid the cultural revolution of the 1960s. Their bond stays brilliantly alive through various trials, including a decade of living apart. "In my experience, the phrase 'happy marriage' is as oxymoronic as 'friendly fire' or 'famous poet.' My marriage has been a feast of contradiction. . . "


Schulman's passion for poetry leads to adventurous times as Poetry Editor of the Nation and Director of the Poetry Center of the 92nd Street Y. The lives of Grace and Jerome are illuminated by friendships with, among others, Marianne Moore, W. S. Merwin, and Richard Yates. In caring for her ailing husband Grace finds her highest calling, and her deepest grief in his loss. Her survival through sorrow will bring solace to all who read about it.