American Impresario: William F. Buckley, Jr., and the Elements of American Character

In 1994, William F. Buckley, Jr., the conservative icon, received a letter from an eighteen-year-old aspiring pianist by the name of Lawrence Perelman, the son of Soviet Jewish immigrants. Buckley’s response sparked a remarkable cross-generational friendship during which Perelman learned of the timeless elements of Buckley’s character, and the central role of classical music in Buckley’s American vision. Lawrence Perelman, an eighteen-year-old aspiring pianist and son of Soviet Jewish immigrants, wrote a letter to William F. Buckley, Jr., the conservative icon, in 1994. A remarkable cross-generational friendship was sparked by Buckley’s response. During their friendship Perelman would go on to learn of the timeless elements of Buckley’s character and the central role of classical music in Buckley’s American vision. In 2025, the 100th anniversary of Buckley’s birth, this book delves into some of Buckley’s virtues which Perelman witnessed firsthand and argues that those virtues can transform the fabric of America’s character. Their friendship spanned from 1995 to February 27, 2008, the day Buckley passed away in his Connecticut home while Perelman practiced piano in a nearby room for a private recital that evening for Buckley and friends that would never happen. American Impresario is a portrait of Buckley, the impresario of the conservative movement, man of faith, Cold Warrior, bulwark against Anti-Semitism, Renaissance man, musician, and mentor to countless people who continue their work today. This book will inspire readers, both young and old, to emulate Buckley’s virtues, including a return to civil discourse, anonymous philanthropy, faith, patriotism and fostering relationships between mentor and protégé, as part of a goal to reweave the fabric of our nation’s character.