Shifting interludes

In the course of his career Willie Morris attained national prominence as a journalist, editor, nonfiction writer, novelist, memoirist, and news commentator. As this eloquent book reveals, he was also a master essayist whose gift was in crafting short compositions. Shifting Interludes, an anthology that spans his career that lasted for forty years, includes pieces he wrote for the Daily Texan, Texas Observer, the Washington Star, Vanity Fair, Southern Living, and other publications. These diverse works reflect the scope of Morris's wide-ranging interests. The collection comprises biographical profiles, newspaper editorials and columns, political analyses, travel narratives, sports commentaries, book reviews, and his thoughts -- both critical and affectionate -- about his beloved home state of Mississippi. Two essays are previously unpublished -- "A Long-ago Rendezvous with Alger Hiss" and "The Day I Followed the Mayor around Town." One essay, "Mississippi Rebel on a Texas Campus," is the first article he wrote for a national publication. Morris's subjects reflect his autobiography, his poignant feelings, and his courtly manners. He expresses his outrage as he decries Southern racis