NO PALACE LIKE HOME

LETTERS

Marlborough matters; the admirable Clinton; Liz Taylor's legacy; a “winning” loser; and remembering Tim Hetherington

Congratulations on a wonderful story [“Magnificent Obsession,” by James Reginato, June], Last year, I had the pleasure of the Duke of Marlborough’s hospitality at Blenheim Palace for a film I was doing on Sir Winston Churchill. I was in awe not only of this extraordinary time capsule of majesty and splendor but also of His Grace’s sensational drive to make one feel welcome in a house that no mere mortal could ever call home. The duke’s charm, including innocent flirtations with my mother, serves him well in his role as living access to a period of history that is nothing short of epic and glamorous.

BARRY AVRICH Toronto, Ontario

THE STATE OF HILLARY

I TRULY APPRECIATED Jonathan Alter’s piece about a remarkable person, Hillary Clinton [“Woman of the World,” June], And kudos to Alter for being a portraitist here, as opposed to a caricaturist, a take that’s long overdue. For he identifies Clinton as both la femme tie tete and la femme tie coeur: the brilliant woman with a heart. These types of creatures do exist—imagine that!

MARIE-JOSE FORTIS Shippenville, Pennsylvania

A DAME TO THE END

SAM KASHNER’S STORY for your June issue [“Elizabeth Taylor’s Closing Act”] revealed the actress, her life, and her passion in such a remarkable way. I now feel certain that, wherever she and Richard Burton arc, they arc together in spite of Richard’s last wife’s desire to keep the pair apart in death. What remains of Taylor here on earth is the legacy of her commitment to changing the face of AIDS.

JILL LOVE Dexter, Michigan

DURING HIS FINAL MONTHS as a minor canon at Westminster Abbey, a good friend of mine was called aside by one of his colleagues after Evensong and asked if he wouldn’t mind giving a personal tour of the Abbey to an unexpected V.I.P. guest. The beautifully madeup and coiffed woman in a wheelchair making the request was none other than Elizabeth Taylor. She showed great interest in the history and architecture of the city’s most famous landmark, but was particularly drawn to the corner of the Abbey where writers, poets, and actors are buried. My friend got the impression that she was looking for a final resting place for herself, and, not being the reticent type, he boldly suggested that there might be room for one more, indicating a spot next to a certain beloved British thespian. “Laurence Olivier?” shot back Taylor. “He’s still got my handbag!”

STEPHEN METCALF London, England

TOXIC SHEEN

MAYBE I’M NAIVE—especially when it comes to Hollywood—but reading about Charlie Sheen’s misogyny [“Charlie Sheen’s War,” by Mark Seal, June] put me in a serious funk. (“Tits, a hole, and a heartbeat” pretty much says it all.) Seal offered many possible contributing factors to Sheen’s unraveling, but I still wonder about yet another possibility: venereal-disease-related psychosis. Surely 30 years of prostitutes and porn stars haven’t left him unscathed.

ELIZABETH PETERSON Helsinki, Finland

AN UNBREAKABLE BOND

SEBASTIAN JUNGER’S PIECE on the late photojournalist Tim Hetherington was exceptionally insightful [“In Memoriam,” June], Not merely friends but brothers in seeking truth and reporting it, they shared a livelihood which benefited all who came in contact with their revelations. Only the one could truly heap honors on the other.

SANDRA DAVIS Hurst, Texas

YOUR ELEGANT TRIBUTE to Tim Hetherington is one of the most beautiful testimonials I have ever read. Junger’s reader can see, feel, and hear his experiences with Hetherington. I hope he writes much more so perhaps fewer good men and women will have to face the harsh light of death in fights far from home.

DEBRA PADULA Hope, Rhode Island

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MORE FROM TH E V.F. MAILBAG

The Proust Questionnaire tends to inspire consensus among readers—usually yeas, rarely nays—but Albert Brooks’s split the ranks. “I laughed myself silly!” says June Hayes, of Rockport, Massachusetts. “Brooks is a comedic genius.” But Maureen Moore Drum my, fellow Bay Stater, writes, “I was dismayed at how nasty and mean-spirited his answers were.” So we need a tiebreaker: “I nominate Albert Brooks’s V.F. Questionnaire as BEST OF THE CENTURY!!” (Eric Eisner, of Bel Air, California, settling the matter.)

“Is there anything I can do to persuade you to share that recipe from Anne McNally on how to cook a roast chicken that you mentioned in your Editor’s Letter [by Graydon Carter, June]?” pleads David Youkhannah, of Los Angeles. “I would keep it discreetly tucked away and never speak of it or share without the prior approval of Mr. Carter.” So does this mean Graydon also has to more or less be available around dinnertime every day, just in case he needs to sign off on a new menu? (Readers can insert their own Waverly Inn and/or Monkey Bar jokes here.)