Thomas Merton Correspondence with "Van Doren, Charles Lincoln, 1926-2019"

Merton writes Charles Van Doren a letter in response to a statement of apology made after Van Doren admitted he was involved in a game show television cheating scandal. Merton is critical of a society that first put Charles Van Doren on a pedestal and has now delighted in his downfall. Charles Lincoln Van Doren was the son of famed poet and academic Mark Van Doren, Mark having been one of Merton's professors at Columbia University. Charles became an scholar and professor at Columbia University as well, but his legacy was later overshadowed by scandal. He was a long-term contestant on the game show Twenty-One. His winning streak was later revealed as a fraud.

1959 See all item sets with this value

1 letter of 2 pages

See also letters between Thomas Merton and Mark Van Doren.