Will You Happen, Past the Silence, Through the Dark? : Remembering Leonard Ralph Casper

Filipino novelist, Linda-Ty-Casper -- the author of this biography, says this book is the Memoir that her husband Leonard Ralph Casper did not get to write. Born in Fond du Lac Wisconsin in 1923, Leonard Casper had a full life as a writer, an academic, a literary critic until he passed away in 2018. Among his many achievements, Casper wrote notable books of criticism of Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Penn Warren; Casper was also an expert on Philippine literature. Linda Ty-Casper collects the letters to and from Leonard Casper, letters which reflect who he was to many friends, high school classmates, teachers and professors, colleagues in the Universities of Rhode Island, Ateneo University of Manila, University of the Philippines and Wisconsin, from editors of Southwest Review who encouraged Len to send stories from the European front during World War II; from Robert Penn Warren starting with his first letter of inquiry (two pages) when he began on his dissertation at the University of Wisconsin, the dissertation becoming the first book on Warren, which critics said showed the way for later books on the Southern writers. There are letters from Filipino writers Len grew to know as friends from years of teaching in the Philippines. BIO of Author: Linda Ty-Casper's short stories and novels have been published in the Philippines and abroad. "The character of their wisdom and strength give the stories their distinct nationality": Mauro Avena. They "must first be read as information…then as knowledge, which is power, which empowerment leads to wisdom…": Franz Arcellana. The novels, both historical and contemporary, are set in periods critical to the country, beginning with the Spanish to the American period, up to the martial law years. She was a member of the UP Writers, Radcliffe Fellow, Wellesley P.E.N. Women, the Boston Authors which was founded in 1909 by Julia ward Howe. Among her honors are the Southeast Asia WRITE Award. Her degrees are from the University of the Philippines and Harvard. A resident of the United States, she has remained a citizen of the Philippines. PRAISE: "Will You Happen, Past the Silence, Through the Dark: Remembering Leonard Casper is a treasure trove of charms and jewels for those like me who find Leonard Casper a bit of a cryptic, enigmatic figure. Linda Ty-Casper has done a great service by shedding light on Len's memory, allowing us a voyeur's look into a life dedicated to the magic and unease found in letters. I am sure this book will remain relevant for decades to come." Joel Pablo Salud